The Liebster Awards 2017

I've been seeing a lot about this tag recently and I love the concept of finding out a bit more about your favourite bloggers and supporting each other. 

The rules of this tag that I have to follow are:

1) Answer the questions asked by tagger/blogger

2) Tag bloggers with under 200 followers on twitter

3) Create 11 new questions for bloggers to answer

4) Recognise who tagged you

I was really happy to be tagged by http://www.shonaghscribbles.co.uk who has a great blog about travel and lifestyle! Here are the questions she asked me:

1) Who or what inspired you to start blogging?

Zoella. 100%. I know how basic that sounds but I started watching/reading Zoella from such a young age and I feel like in a way I've grown up with her. She introduced me into this wonderful world of blogging and when I was about 13 I started to imagine how fun it would be to do it myself but never had the confidence, until I watched her video about anxiety and thought 'if she can do it, I can'. Also, my need to express creativity in some way inspired me to start blogging.

2) How would you describe your life so far in five words?

Fun, fortunate, stressful, lesson, enjoyable

3) If you had a re-run at life, what would you change (if anything)?

I honestly don't have any regrets in life as I kind of believe that everything that happens to you has a purpose or lesson, however the one thing I always wish I done was start youtube earlier when I wanted to. I always thought that I needed a good quality camera to start but I've realized now that everyone has to start somewhere. Also, I wish I'd started earlier so I had more videos and memories to look back on!

4) What is the best place you have ever visited been and why?

Cala D'or, Majorca. It is one of the most beautiful places and by far my favourite holiday I've been on so far. The best thing about it was the little cove beaches with the clearest water I've ever seen.

5) Name your top three highest ranking activities on your bucket list..

1) See Lana Del Rey in concert

2) Buy a Camper Van and travel around Europe

3) Visit the blue lagoon in Iceland

6) One thing your subscribers or followers wouldn't know about you IS?

As much as I love fashion and beauty, I spend 99% of my life in leggings and a hoodie with no makeup on. Youtube and instagram can be very deceiving, trust me.

7) What is your biggest accomplishment in life thus far?

Receiving offers for University. With the way my anxiety was affecting me at the start of the year, I thought there was absolutely no way I could go to an interview and be successful. The fact that I got all offers including the 2 offers that required interviews made me so proud of myself. I spoke well in the interviews and didn't cave under the pressure, which may not mean much to some people but to me that was a great accomplishment.

8) Go-to music artist or song at the moment?

I've been really enjoying listening to Gavin James at the minute, and my favourite song would have to be For You.

9) What does your favourite outfit consist of?

You can't go wrong with a pair of mom jeans and a cropped, long sleeved top (what can I say, I love Rachel Green's style).

10) Who did you want to be when you were younger and are you happy with the reality?

​

When I was younger and Jacqueline Wilson obsessed, I adored writing and wanted to be an author so badly. As I got a little older I dreamed of having my own magazine, and that dream has actually sort of endured. I'm going to (hopefully) be studying Fashion Communication in September, so I guess you could say I'm turning my dreams into reality!

Here are the people I am nominating to do the tag:

www.saramccloskey.com

www.britishbeautyaddict.com

www.bekylou.com

www.memyselfandorla.wordpress.com

I'm not sure about followers but I only wanted to nominate people whose blog I actually read.

My questions are:

1) What is your favourite book?

2) What's your dream job?

3) What place in the world would you most like to go to?

4) Holy grail beauty product?

5) What's your favourite thing about where you live?

6) What makes you happy?

7) Favourite subject in school?

8) What's your all time favourite tv show?

9) If you were an animal what would you be and why?

10) Favourite quote?

11) What quality do you most appreciate in someone?

So that's it from me! If you're tagged I'd really love to see you answer the questions, and if not, I'm tagging all bloggers reading this who are up for it!

xo, Orlagh

My School Experience

After 14 years in education, it's hard to believe that I can finally say I am officially done with school! I just finished my last A Level exam (English Literature) on Thursday and I still feel like I should be revising! Finishing exams is such a weird feeling but knowing I'm finished for good is even weirder.

To me it still seems like I'll be going back again in September. In some ways I feel quite sad about it, but honestly it is a bit of a relief.

School had a lots of ups and downs for me, but I'm so glad as I've learned so much from it and it's helped me to grow as a person so much. I wanted to make a post because this is a really important moment in my life and I wanted to sort of write a letter to reflect on my experience of secondary school.

To my childhood friends

Although we grew apart and went our different ways with different people at the beginning of secondary school, I still love you guys just as much as I did when we were 12 and having sleepovers, eating way too many sweets, watching girly movies and doing all the typical things you do when you're 12. Sometimes people just grow apart and change and although it's sad, it's necessary. Any time we do talk it's like nothing's changed (compared to some old friends who act like they never knew you), and I want to thank you for that. For giving me so many memories and so much laughter when we were younger that I'll never forget. You're genuinely amazing people who deserve the world and an abundance of success and happiness when you leave school.

To the not-so-great friends

Don't worry - this isn't a roasting! This is for the short-lived friends who although may have not been the greatest people for me, taught me a lot of lessons. It was often the case that the people I was spending time with weren't giving back the effort that I was putting in. Although it was frustrating at the time, it helped me grow. Thank you for teaching me how to stand my ground, stick up for myself and take no shit. Thank you for making me realize my worth and that I deserve better. Thank you for making me realize what a friend should and should not be so I could be a better friend to the people who are good to me.

To my best friends

Cheesy as it sounds, you all came at the perfect time. I was in a really bad place and once I became friends with you my mood completely lifted. I was so happy that I finally found like minded people who were genuinely great friends. I'm so glad that we've made so many amazing memories, even in the early days in summer when we just walked out about where we lived and got a wee cheesy chip (weird private joke). I'll really miss seeing you everyday, I'll miss the hilarious, slightly messy nights out where we do nothing but laugh and dance terribly. I'll miss the odd deep chat where I know I can come to you with anything that's bothering me. I'll miss how much fun we have together and feeling completely comfortable. I want to thank you guys for so many things. For making my confidence increase immensely and teaching me how to care less about what people think. For helping me through anxiety. For not judging and always being open minded. For making me laugh when I felt like crying. For making school a slightly more enjoyable experience. I know you'll all do amazing when we all go out into the big bad world and be successful in whatever you do. I know we only say this when we're drunk and emotional but I really do love you all so much and you all deserve the world.

P.S: Kathy if you're reading this, I apologize if you are gagging right now as I know how much you hate cheesy shit like this!

To my school

You gave me a lot of good moments and a lot of bad moments, but I wouldn't take it back. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have the education and qualifications that I have today, and while some teachers weren't exactly the most helpful, the ones I have had the past few years have been so unbelievably helpful and supportive. School taught me how to be self-motivated, confident, sociable, friendly, and so many more things. Although school triggered a lot of my anxiety, the staff at the school have been so good to me and have done everything they could in their power to accommodate me, which I am extremely grateful for. School has been the greatest learning curve for me as well as allowing me to meet some amazing people. Aside from the stress and mental breakdowns throughout exams, I really did enjoy school.

So that's that for my extremely cheesy blog post! Here are a few of my favourite pictures and memories throughout the past 7 years:



I wish everyone in my year the best of luck for the future.

xo, Orlagh

Relax... It's Summer!

For most people, exams are over and it's officially summer, so just relax, take a deep breath, and smile - you have two whole months to do whatever the fuck u want!!

One thing I want to stress is that you shouldn't overthink how your exams went. I know that it's natural instinct to go back over what you wrote in the exam and check if you done the right thing, but sometimes that does more harm than good - just forget about them rather than making yourself feel like crap about writing the wrong answer because at the end of the day, it isn't going to affect/change your grade.

Instead of worrying about results, just go out and enjoy summer, do the things you love, and most importantly relax! Your brain's probably been on overdrive for the last 2 months so it's important to take a breather. Do something or go somewhere that puts your mind at ease. I went to the waterfall near my house because I find it so peaceful, and then went to my caravan for the weekend to chill out and get a bit of an internet detox.

While I don't think it's a good idea to overthink your exams, I still think it's important to reflect and put things into perspective. It's important to realize that if you get bad grades, it really isn't the end of the world! The pressure put on students these days is ridiculous and we're made to think that these exams are a test of our intelligence and that they determine our future, but as long as you have tried your very best it shouldn't matter because a bad grade does not mean you are stupid.

Instead of worrying about what you should've done, reward yourself for all your hard work and have the best summer ever!! Take it as an opportunity to spend more time with your friends and family, or maybe even start a new hobby. Always wanted to learn how to play the guitar or maybe how to paint? Do it! You have nothing to lose and it'll help pass the time during summer.

I know sometimes doing fun things in summer can be expensive, but there are so many things you can do that are cheap/free and you can still have an amazing time. I think the best thing to do is take advantage of where you live; If you live near a beach, go there all the time; if there are nice scenic walks where you live, go for a walk; if you live near/in a city, act like a tourist for the day, visiting parts of the city you wouldn't usually go to. Here are some articles I've found which have great ideas of what do in summer that wont break the bank:

http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Cheap-Things-Do-Summer-37421848

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/40-free-fun-things-to-do-this-summer-220963

http://www.canadianliving.com/life-and-relationships/family/article/50-free-things-to-do-this-summer

I hope you have an amazing summer!

xo, Orlagh

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (Sorry I'm a day late). I really like St. Patrick's Day because it's a day when you can celebrate being Irish and everything that comes with it (alcohol for most people) and I love that. In saying that, I never usually do anything too crazy for it but I just like going places that make me happy. I usually go the beach near my caravan in Donegal, but yesterday I thought we'd go to a waterfall that's only a five minute walk from where I live because despite being so close to it, I never actually go so I thought it would be a good day to go because the weather was gorgeous.

 (My top was from Topshop about a year ago but people are selling it on Depop if you're interested)

Hope you had a good St. Patrick's Day and liked these pictures!

xo, Orlagh

Spring/Summer 16 Trends

I always love doing these sorts of blog posts, researching all the looks that were on the runways for Spring and Summer. I fell in love with the collections for this season, so many designers had a feminine spin on their clothing, and I absolutely love it. I usually tend to be drawn to the more out there, futuristic styles but this season I'm obsessed with the more minimalistic, dreamy and pretty styles. Calvin Klein stole the show for me, their pieces for Spring/Summer 2016 were so understated and stunning. There were a lot of trends that were seen in several collections, but I just picked out a few of my favourites and pieces that are very similar for a lot cheaper.

1) Ruffles
This was seen so much for S/S 16 but in different ways but ll had a very feminine shape. This look is really easy to wear as long as you keep the accessories simple.

http://www.zara.com/uk/en/woman/tops/ruffle-top-c358004p3256033.html

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-ruffle-detail-vintage-blouse-with-high-neck/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6141646&clr=Lilac&SearchQuery=ruffles&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=250&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=2

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-high-neck-ruffle-tiered-top-with-short-sleeve/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6250821&clr=Ivory&SearchQuery=ruffles&pgesize=36&pge=0&totalstyles=250&gridsize=3&gridrow=3&gridcolumn=1

2) Romantic Florals
There was a lot of flowey, sheer floral maxi dresses this season which were stunning, and designers also took inspiration from Victorian fashion with high necks and buttons

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-pleated-maxi-dress-in-floral-print/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5930428&clr=Multi&SearchQuery=ASOS+Pleated+Maxi+Dress+in+Floral+Print&pgesize=4&pge=0&totalstyles=4&gridsize=3&gridrow=1&gridcolumn=1

http://www.asos.com/Little-Mistress/Little-Mistress-Floral-Print-and-Lace-Maxi-Dress/Prod/pgeproduct.aspxiid=5997829&transaction_id=10256ce163e502b1db933582beeb7f&affid=14329&istCompanyId=6f061ed0-7427-4b6c-bb90-987c0bd08468&istItemId=qrimrtwra&istBid=t&pubref=1015

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Wrap-Front-Maxi-Dress-In-Floral-Print/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=6094058&transaction_id=1027ca6472351e5252077fe2cc9258&affid=14329&istCompanyId=6f061ed0-7427-4b6c-bb90-987c0bd08468&istItemId=qlpwtpiat&istBid=t&pubref=1015

3) Lingerie
I think this was my favourite trend. The 90's trend is definitely not going anywhere for a while which I am very happy about! The slip dress is huge this season, and while it can be worn dressed up, I think it would look amazing with some slip on trainers and a leather jacket around your shoulders for a more casual take on it.

http://www.asos.com/asos/asos-mini-cami-slip-dress-in-hammered-satin/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5979509&clr=Pink&SearchQuery=slip&pgesize=36&pge=2&totalstyles=380&gridsize=3&gridrow=5&gridcolumn=2

http://www.office.co.uk/view/product/office_catalog/5,21/2496576294


xo, Orlagh

New Music Dicoveries

The past while I feel like I haven't been making an effort to discover new music like I used to love doing, and just got stuck in a rut of listening to the same 5 artists until I got sick of them. I've starting listening to new people and different types of music I didn't think I would like but actually love now.

Here are a few artists/songs I've been loving at the moment:

Troye Sivan

I've been watching his youtube videos for so long and I knew he released some songs but I never really listened to him until his new EP, Wild, was released and I am so obsessed! I didn't expect to like that music but I love it so much now because of him. I'm not a music expert but his songs are quite electropop and really chilled. Here's one of my favourite songs from the album (which you can get on spotfiy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLuWMOF6vOU


FKA Twigs

FKA Twigs is one of those artist you wish you knew about sooner, she's amazing!! I think she's such an underrated artist because she is so creative and original with music and her appearance. All of her songs are so different and it's obvious how much effort she puts into each one. You should definitely go listen to her!! Here's a video on her vevo of all her songs (it's amazing):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYU3j-22360


CHVRCHES

The first time I heard CHVRCHES was on the Radio 1 Live Lounge (I think it was cry me a river by Justin Timberlake) and I thought they were so cool.  Their music is more pop/alternative but I think they're album has a sort of 80's vibe which I usually hate but it actually works. And her accent is so cute!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mTRvJ9fugM


Lana Del Rey

I've loved Lana for ages but she has a new album so it counts! Every album she has put out so far has been so amazing and I always think the next one will never be as good, but she never fails to impress me. She seems to be going more and more alternative and further away from pop with each album (which I love) and Honeymoon is such a good album.


If you have any artists you think I might like let me know!
xo, Orlagh

Instagram - @_orlaghmccloskey
Twitter - @_orlaghmarie