Dresses & Diamonds

My absolute favourite shop in the whole world (well ireland at least!) is the Avoca Shop. I would live there if I could.

I do not buy very much there as it is quite expensive so when I do make a purchase it is a real treat. Yesterday was one such occasion when I bought the Zig Zag Dress:

I saw so many pretty things that I am sure I will be returning soon.

Speaking of pretty things I thought I would show you a little pic of my engagement ring:

I have had it for four weeks now but am still not quite used to this lovely sparkly thing on my finger. It is quite simple but I absoutley love it. It is a platinum band with a four claw round brilliant. I tried on many many rings but somehow felt this was 'the one'.

I would love to hear what type of engagement ring would you/did you choose?

A wedding!

A few weeks ago my lovely boyfriend asked me to marry him and I said yes!
So it has been a very exciting and eventful few weeks for us.
I am really looking forward to being married to him and this is the most important thing to me. I would be happy to get married tomorrow, just the two of us.
However we have started to think a little about the type of wedding we might like.
I have picked out a few wedding dresses that appeal to me







Can you tell I am inspired by Jane Austen?!

Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

Ellis Island is the first book I have read from the TV Book Club Summer Reads 2010. The story focuses on the character of Ellie. When we first meet Ellie she is a strong willed young girl growing up in a very disciplined household in rural Ireland in the 1908. We follow her as she makes her own way through life falling in love with people and places along the way. I do not want to give the plot away but I will say that this is mainly a story about love. However it is interesting, intelligent and thought provoking and in this way breaks the mould of many other books from the same genre.

It is an absoutley lovely book. I was hooked from the first page and I knew I was going to enjoy it. I think it is the type of story which would be enjoyed by women of all ages. It actually reminded me a little of Brooklyn (by Colm Tobin)but I have to say that Ellis Island is my preferred option.

I finished this book a few days ago and I felt very sad to be leaving Ellie behind.

A trip to Bristol, Bath, Stratford, Hong Kong...

Hello,

I am so sorry about the lack of posts recently.


Last week I went to England for a few days to attend a wedding and do some sightseeing. We flew into Bristol and I spent a fun day there shopping in Cabot Circus. We also spent a day in Bath which was the part of the trip I was most looking forward to. I was not disappointed. I loved the Jane Austen museum and the Roman Baths but the best part for me was just walking around the city and admiring the lovely architecture. We also went to Stratford where we went to see a Shakespeare play of course! The play we went to see was The Winter’s Tale. It was enjoyable and I am really glad I went to see it. The weather when we were there was pretty mixed but we had a bright sunny day for the wedding which was lovely.

When I was away I finished reading ‘The Piano Teacher’ by Janice Y.K Lee. Initially I found this book hard going and a little slow. However once I got into it I really enjoyed it. The book is set in Hong Kong during the 1940’s and 50’s and tells the story of Hong Kong before, during and after the war. I am really interested in history and particularly enjoy reading novels set at important periods in history because I feel they really give an insight into what life was like for people rather than just stating the facts. I find the characters in these types of books stay in my mind for a long time afterwards. ‘The Piano Teacher’ was compared to ‘Atonement’ on the front cover and this is one of the reasons I picked it up. I can certainly see the similarities as both books are love stories set against a background of war. I have been to Hong Kong before but after reading this book I would really like to return because I feel I know so much more about the place now. I think Hong Kong has such an interesting history. I am now reading ‘Mother of the Bride’ by Marita Conlon McKenna. It is such an easy read and very different to ‘The Piano Teacher’ but enjoyable in its own way.

Mypure Goodies

This month I received two products from mypure to review. The first was the Lovea Tahitian Monoi Moisturising Body Lotion for normal skin. This is very similar to the shampoo I received last month. Last month I mentioned in my review that I did not like the packaging or the scent of the shampoo so when I saw that the packing and scent of the mosituriser were exactly the same as the shampoo I was a little disappointed. However I like this product much more than the shampoo. I do not have dry skin so I notice that body moisturisers often take a very long time to absorb and often leave a sticky residue on my skin but this does not. I have also grown to like the scent a little more. Perhaps by the time I finish the bottle I will really like it! One thing I do really like is the pump action on the bottle which works very well. Also as this product is from mypure it is 100% natural which pleases me greatly. If you would like to give this product a try find out more here: http://www.mypure.co.uk/lovea-b136/tahitian-monoi-moisturising-body-lotion-p1156



The other product I received this month was the A'kin Hair Care Jojoba & Lavender Conditioner. I loved the packaging and scent and was hoping I would also really like the product. However it is really not suitable for me because my hair is very dry and I need a much stronger conditioner. I do not want to write a negative review because I am sure this conditioner would work great for people with normal/greasy hair as this is who it is aimed at but unfortunately it was not for me. If you think it might be suitable for you find out more here http://www.mypure.co.uk/akin-hair-care-b2/jojoba-lavender--conditioner-p13


Thanks for reading and I will be back soon with more reviews.