It's Time For A Change

Hey everyone! It's been a while, I know, but I've had a big life change recently and I wanted to get myself organized and basically get my life together before I got back onto my blog and youtube channel. 

A lot has changed so I thought it was only right that my creative outlets did as well. 

About a month ago I made a big move across the water at Bristol to study Fashion Communication at UWE. It's been tough moving so far away from home, but I feel like it's the right place for me to be at the minute. f things don't work out it and I want to move back home it isn't the end of the world, but all I can do is give it a try. This is an excellent opportunity for me and I worked really hard to get here; I'm really excited to be on the path to a career in fashion which I have wanted for such a long time!

The course is basically for the 'behind the scenes' aspect of fashion (or at least that's how I like to explain it). It takes into account things like photography, styling, journalism, PR, business and loads more! It's a great course for people who want a career in fashion but don't want to do design or textiles. At the minute our projects are very much photography based which I'm not complaining about as photography is one of my favourite hobbies. Although the course is pretty fast paced, I still can't believe that doing something I love and find fun can be considered 'work'. It's such a change from A levels!

I'm currently living in uni accommodation which is pretty good. I'm right in the city centre which is a major bonus, but also very bad for me because it means I'm really close to all the good shops which is extremely tempting!

I'm getting slightly off topic now, but I just wanted to make this post to explain that my blog and youtube channel will be getting some slight changes. For one, I have changed the name to 'The Fashion Student' as I feel it suits me better for this time in my life and will help me stick to a certain niche. Also, if you're a bit confused by some posts titled 'critical thinking' or 'visual culture' just ignore them, they are blog posts I have to write for my course!

'Orlagh Marie' was essentially a year of experimentation which I absolutely loved. It helped me work out what kind of videos I do/don't like. From now on you can expect lots more fashion + lifestyle videos/posts! I have a few exciting ideas for series so definitely stay tuned!!

Lots of love,

Orlagh xx

What's In My Makeup Bag?

Hi! Suprisingly enough I've never done a blog post like this before because I'm usually always changing about the products in my makeup bag and struggle to stick with the same products for a long amount of time. However the products in my makeup bag at the minute have stayed for a long time and they are perfect for an everyday makeup look.

Lets start with the base - these are the main products that I love using on my face. I start with the no.7 Stay Perfect foundation in the shade Calico which has a lovely satin finish and amazing coverage. Then to brighten and conceal I use the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer and the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. To set this all I use the Collection Loose Translucent Powder which is really light but helps my base last all day without looking cakey. To give my skin a bit more overall colour I love using the Rimmel Natural Bronzer as it doesn't look orange on my very pale skin, but just makes me look a bit more healthy. Then to finish o the base I use either a liquid highlighter or the Benefit What's Up highlighter as they both give a very natural glow.

Then onto eyes. I like to keep an overall natural bronzey look so I only use the Nyx Brow Mascara on my eyebrows and then on my eyes I use the Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick by Kate in the shade Rose Gold all over the lid which is amazing for blue eyes, then I blend a mixture of the Nyx eyeshadow in Lol and Makeup Geek eyeshadow in Cocoa Bear in the crease. I then draw a very thin line of brown Collection Fast Stroke liquid eyeliner and finish with the Natural Collection Lash Length mascara.

I've recently found a lip combo that I can't stop wearing because it suits me really well, and I struggle to find lipsticks that really do suit me. I've had these 3 products for ages but never thought to use them together until recently and I'm now obsessed. To line my lips I use the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliner in Tirimasu and then I fill in the rest of my lips with the Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipliner in the shade Dusty Rose. The product that transforms these two liners is the Benefit Hoola lipgloss which ties the look together perfectly by adding a bit of gloss.

So that's it for my makeup bag! Pretty basic and cheap, but what I love using for everyday use. Hope you enjoyed reading!

xo, Orlagh

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

5 Summer Trends You Can Buy Right Now

It's finally that time again! I usually do these trend posts a bit earlier but this year I thought I'd wait until the trends actually make it from the runways to the shops so that they are available for you to buy. As well as this, it's hard to know which trends the high street stores will actually pick up, so after seeing these trends at fashion week a while ago, they are now beginning to pop up in stores. These are a few of my favourites which you don't have to stretch your budget for.

The Eighties

You either love or hate the eighties but I personally love it. Garish, bold and a little tacky - what's not to love? Joking aside, this trend is great if you want to stand out and is perfect for a party or night out. Think sequins, statement earrings, metallic and all the styles that defined that decade.

Tulle

Tulle was everywhere on the runway for Summer '17, and recently I've seen it all over the highstreet, especially skirts in New Look! It's surprisingly a really versatile piece as it can be used in so many different styles. Pair a tulle skirt with a beaded, embellished top for a summer wedding, or partner with a band tee and boots for a more edgy look.

The Shirt 

The white shirt has been revamped for this season, with a more deconstructed feel. Go for tie wrap poplin shirts, off the shoulder shirts and ruffled sleeves which are in almost every shop at the minute. In my opinion, Zara does this trend best, but New Look have great budget options.

Stripes

Stripes are in almost every summer, and this year is no exception. Nautical stripes were a running theme throughout which is great as this pattern is a classic staple that never really goes out of style so it's likely that you already have it in your wardrobe. However if you want to stand out a little more, bold stripes along with bold colours are quite popular.

Graphic Tees

After the iconic feminist tees debuted from Dior, everywhere went crazy with the graphic tees. Topshop have the greatest range I've seen out of everywhere and there's something for everyone, whether you like a bold font or a cute little embroidered phrase on the pocket of your tee.

What's your favourite trend for the summer?

xo, Orlagh

Travel Bucket List

For as long as I can remember I've always loved the thought of seeing the world and what's out there. I've always been an escapist, and when I was younger that translated to getting lost in a book and imagining the world/place in which it's set, or watching David Attenborough documentaries about exotic places.  Our planet is an incredible place and there are so many things to see that I haven't, but I've always felt an urge to travel and see everything (well, almost everything).

In recent years, certain places have really stuck out to me that I am dying to see, so I thought I'd share them with you...

Iceland

My interest in this beautiful island was first sparked by the 'Pretty Little Liars' books, where Aria and her family lived for a year. I had never really heard anyone talk about it before that, but the way she described it intrigued me so much and it seemed like such a unique, interesting place. After looking up pictures I've been obsessed ever since, and it is definitely #1 on my bucket-list. I love that it seems so remote and tranquil - the perfect place to escape from reality. I'd kill to see the northern lights, the quirky houses and the natural hot springs.

Croatia

This country is a recent discovery. I've always loved the idea of interail and I often find myself browsing through the interail hashtag on instragram. I noticed that a lot of people were going to Croatia and it looked absolutely stunning. I'd love to go and see the stunning lakes and architecture.

Austria

My sister always told me how beautiful Austria was after she went to it, and because I've never seen The Sound of Music (shock horror, I know), I only realised how stunning it actually was until I seen loads of Instagram photographers going there. I think I would definitely like to go there during winter as the mountains always look so beautiful, and I'd love to drive through all the little villages at Christmas time.

France

I've had a weird obsession with France, particularly Paris, for a really long time and just found it so beautiful and alluring in all aspects - the language, the culture, the people, and most importantly the food. When I was learning French in school I always imagined going to live in Paris - seeing the Eiffel Tower in person, reading books in coffee shops on rainy days, and drinking coffee on my balcony in the morning. One can dream!  

USA (West Coast)

I've always thought it would be such an amazing experience to start on a roadtrip at the top of the West Coast at Washington and work my way down to California. Camping in the woods of Montana, going to all the Californian beaches and visiting the Chateau Marmont (spot the Lana Del Rey fan) are all on the to-do list.

So that's it for my bucketlist. What places would you love to go to? I'd love to know!

xo, Orlagh