Just for fun, I decided to compile a blog post of some of my favourite things ranging from A to Z. I would love to hear of some of your favourite things. Set yourself the challenge of compiling them alphabetically, it’s more difficult than you would imagine, but so much fun! 🙂

Enjoy!

Alien

My favourite scent. Thierry Muglier Alien is among my favourite smells in the entire world, and it is so distinctive and unusual. I love it! The Perfume Shop nationwide and throughout the UK refill the 30ml bottles for roughly €20 which is really handy and works out much cheaper in the long run.

Books

We have the world of literature at our fingertips at all times. Utilise it! Books broaden our minds, improve our writing, and give us a welcome breather from reality for a while. Head to your local library or charity shop and pick up a good book or ten! You won’t regret it! There is nothing quite like the smell of a book. I have lost hours to good books.

 Cocktails

Is there anything nicer on a sunny day than sipping on a fruity cocktail be it alcoholic, or non-alcoholic? Cocktails spell Summer, and fun! C also stands for Cosmopolitan, my favourite cocktail 🙂 PYG just off Grafton Street in Dublin and the Skeff in Galway are top of my list when it comes to cocktails.

 Diary 

Not the personal thoughts type, the diary with the dates and notes section. I have a head like a sieve and need to write everything down in my diary. I love my Cath Kidston diary, and bring it everywhere. As a wedding singer, singing teacher and blogger this is a handbag essential.

 

 Eyeliner..

Definately a cosmetics product I couldn’t be without. Eyeliner instantly adds definition to eyes, and makes them pop. An amazing low-budget eyeliner that is a gem of  a product is the Catrice liquid eyeliner. The wand is brilliant for creating  a winged look. If you are willing to splash the cash, check out the Mac pot and Anastasia Beverly Hills brush. The Beauty Collaboration Corners on my blog also feature some of these eyeliners. Check them out!

 Flowers

Aldi sell the most amazing flowers every week, and they won’t break the bank retailing from €3.99 upwards. Flowers instantly cheer up any space. The Aldi bunches often come arranged with little plastic ladybirds and bee’s. So cute!

Glass half full

This is a great ethos to live your life by, and helps one to maintain a positive outlook on life, even when things go wrong. It is so easy to get bogged down by situations that arise in daily life, and I am guilty of this but if you try to always keep the sunny side out a better state of mental health and positivity will follow. Glass half full always! 🙂

 Friends

Where would we be in life without our friends? In my twenties I have learned some harsh lessons about friends, and who my real friends are. This is a healthy thing. It is only through difficult circumstance that we realise who our true friends really are. If you are blessed to have a group of fantastic friends in your life who will stick by you through thick and thin, embrace them and be thankful for them. You will also lose some people in your life who you thought were your friends for life. In this situation, trust your gut instinct. Somethings are just not meant to be, and I believe that everyone we encounter in life teaches us a lesson anyway. So take the good with the bad. Better to have couple of close friends than a tonne of acquaintances.

 Garnier Softening Toner

One of the best toners on the market. Leaves your skin feeling super soft and refreshed after cleansing. The smell is divine and it won’t break the bank. Available at most pharmacies nationwide. My favourite skincare product.

Happiness.

Is there really anything more important? We have this one life to live, so live it happily! Stuck in a job you hate? Leave it. In a toxic relationship? Leave it. Have a passion you would love to pursue? Do it!! For years, I constantly tried to make everyone else happy and gave little thought to my own and kind of ‘got by’ by picking a college course I didn’t want to do and rarely standing up for myself. Life is so much more enjoyable when we do things we love. It is easier to get out of bed in the mornings. I adore writing and pursue this through blogging. Music theatre is my passion so I went and gathered the money and studied it. I did these things for myself, and am a happier person for it. Life is too short to scrape by and neglect our happiness.

I Phone

I would be lost without my I Phone 6. E-mails, texts, whatsapps, facebook, snapchats.. It does it all. I will hold my hands up and admit to being a phone addict, but lately have started to schedule blog posts etc so that it doesn’t consume my everyday life. It drives my boyfriend crazy too as he just about makes calls off his, so I have started to use mine a lot less!

J. K. Rowling

Having read all of the Harry Potter books easily over ten times each, I just find this woman to be the most inspiring person. A broke single mother who grafted and held on on to her dreams and never lost touch with her creative side. The Harry Potter series are so imaginative and really revolutionised the fictional book world in a way. She is a woman to be admired and her story is so inspiring.

Kitsch

Cute Kitsch, one of my favourite Irish companies. I wrote a blog feature on this business a few months back as I was just so taken with their handmade, colourful DIY produce. Check them out! Another great example of two ladies who had  a passion and a drive, took a risk and just went for it. Their monthly subscription boxes are to die for!

Loreal Facial Cleansing Oil

Simply my favourite facial cleanser. Feels amazing on the skin, eye make-up glides off and skin feels so soft after use. I love it! Throw away the facewipes ladies, and invest in this gem. Retails for under €10 at most pharmacies and Boots stores nationwide.

 Magnums

White Magnums.. no explanation required! 🙂

Notebooks

I don’t believe I will ever have enough notebooks. My treasured Cath Kidston notebook comes everywhere with me. So handy for blogging as ideas are constantly swimming around my head for blog posts and it’s handy to have somewhere to scribble them down. I’m very old school when it comes to notes! Pen to paper is the only way.

Oven baking

Baking is one of my favourite hobbies, and something I like to do throughout the week! I also like to blog about my baking, have a look through my blog where you will find many recipes for various treats! There is nothing that beats freshly made baking straight from the oven.

Porridge bread

The healthiest, yummiest low fat treat. The recipe is on my blog. This bread takes about five minutes to whip up and under an hour to bake. It is foolproof and so simple! Check it out!

Quilts

Anybody who knows me knows I love to be cosy at all times, and I adore shopping for homeware. A nice war quilt brings me so much happiness… sad, I know! Penneys and Harry Corrys have amazing homeware at the moment allowing you to kit out your home on a  budget.

River Island

I could browse through River Island’s online store all day. Love their pieces and their Summer collection for 2016 is stunning! Their shoes are amazing and worth spending that extra bit of cash on as they last for so long and are so unique.

Stellar

The only Irish Magazine I read. It is the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea after a long day. The material is always so current and I adore the fashion and beauty pages, as everything is priced so well and easily located online or on the high street! They feature bloggers every month too which is a nice touch.

Tea

Pretty standard! I love going for Afternoon Tea, it is such a treat! The Harbour Hotel in Galway have now started a new Afternoon Tea menu with a kids version. It is to die for! A glass of prosecco with cakes and sandwiches.. such a lovely day out!

UP

The perfect Sunday evening film. It is just such a beautiful film with the right mixture of everything.. happiness, sadness, laughter. Plus, I’m a big child so give me a Disney or Pixar film anyday.

Victoria Secret Body Mists

I adore these! They smell so good, and can be bought at Victoria Secret’s stores or online. They are quite reasonabe in price too, and a handy alternative to popcorn. They smell AMAZING, my favourite being ‘Love Spell’.

Weddings

There is nothing quite like a good wedding, and I adore them having performed at hundreds of them over the years. I love to blog about them too, so have a look around my blog for various wedding features on ceremony music, decor, bargains etc.

X

The mind boggles at the lack of X words in the English language 🙂

Yankee Candles

Yankee candles are the most luxurious of the candle family. They are costly but the scents are divine, my favourites being the Christmas Eve and  Wedding day scent. I came across these little miniature Yankee candles last week in a local Tesco, and they are fabulous, and do the job just as well!

ZARA

My favourite high street store. Their clothes are amazing, and the quality is superb. I particularly love their coats, jackets and shirts. Perfect for occasion wear.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my life and some of my favourite things! Would love to hear about your favourite things in the comment section below, and if we have any similar items on our A-Z lists!

Happy Thursday x