Rainy Day in Maynooth

Mainly just some photos from in and around Maynooth Castle, Co. Kildare from September 2013. Taken with a Nikon 1 J1 with original lens.

In a way, these photos are kind of a colour and texture study focusing on green and mossy colours with damp and rainy textures.

Quote of the Day

'August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.'

Sylvia Plath

Irish Mental Health Reform Petition

It's no secret that mental health services in Ireland are pretty much still in the dark ages and desperately need to be developed and made available to everyone and anyone in need. So many people would benefit even from just a small investment in the area, even if it was just better advertising of existing services and their availabilities.

Mental Health Reform has set up a petition to have additional funding (which has been long promised) for mental health services allocated in the 2015 Budget.

The only way this is going to get off the ground and actually happen is if they get as many signatures as possible so follow this link >here< to sign the petition and please share on any social media sites and encourage your friends and family to do likewise!

Thank you in advance darlings!

Dry Shampoo Review!

Recently I've become a bit obsessed with Garnier's new Ultimate Blends range, specifically their dry shampoos. Dry shampoo is an absolute godsend when I'm late for work and my hair looks a bit greasy or for looking presentable on spontaneous nights out when I haven't got the time to wash my hair.

I used to swear by the Batiste range, so quick and simple and they have such a wide variety of options for different hair types/colours. The new Garnier range only has 2 different types so far, maybe if they're received well they'll bring out some more (here's hoping).

The first one I tried out was the Revitalising 7in1 Dry Shampoo, it's lemon and green tea flavour and it smells really refreshing. It's for normal hair and I find it pretty great. There's also the Silky7in1 Dry Shampoo for mid to long hair, it smells of vanilla milk which is quite sweet but nice all the same. I tried that one out too but I kinda prefer the lemon and green tea one because I prefer the scent, they both do exactly the same job so it's just personal preference.

They both have 7 actions listed on the back of the can and I have to say neither disappointed on any of these fronts. The 7 actions are;

1. Instantly cleanses
2. Absorbs grease at the roots
3. Lightweight feel
4. Hair feels supple to the touch
5. Hair easy to detangle
6. Invigorating fragrance
7. Leaves no visible residue

I haven't even gotten to the best part yet, neither of these dry shampoos needs to be brushed out after application. I repeat; no brushing necessary! All you have to do is shake the can, spray onto your hair, quick tousle and you're good to go! There's no residue or flakes or anything of that nature left in your hair, just spray and go. So, so handy when you're in a rush!

The only fault I could find, and mind you it's a minor one, is the lack of variety in the range. In saying that though, the range has only been on the market a matter of months so perhaps if it sells well then Garnier will expand the range to encompass more hair types and colours.

As far as I can tell you can buy the new Garnier Ultimate Blends products in most supermarkets and the dry shampoo ranges from €3.50 to €4 (which is about 50c more expensive than the Batiste range but in my opinion it's well worth it), however I have seen it in Penney's for about €3.

Overall I'm completely delighted with the results this product gives and I highly recommend it! If you've given it a go or have anything to add, leave a comment below :)

Loss of a True Legend

I never knew I could grieve so deeply for a celebrity until the death of Robin Williams. He was without a doubt one of my childhood heroes and and he remains one of my idols.

One of the many things I have him to thank for is the way only his films have the power to bring my family together. Similar to most families, my family and I rarely agree on anything. The one thing we absolutely never agree on is comedy and what we find funny. The one exception was the one and only Robin Williams, we all absolutely love him. Mrs Doubtfire quotes can be heard daily in our house.

My brother told me minutes after the news broke and I started crying, it was like he'd told me my favourite uncle had passed away.

What's even more painful is the horrible irony of the situation regarding his death, a man who banished so much sadness in the world was overwhelmed by his own darkness and tragically succumbed to it. He brought such an incredible amount of joy and wisdom into this world and I hope that somewhere deep down he knew that. I also hope that wherever he is now he can see how important his work was to so many people and how treasured he was by the world.

I could go into detail about the circumstances surrounding his death but to be perfectly honest, I feel that would be unfair as so little information has been released. All that has been made clear is that he battled depression for a very long time. Right now I think it's more important to focus on the kind of person Robin Williams was and how many wonderful things he gave the world.

I'll never be able to articulate how grateful I am to Robin Williams for bringing me light in my own times of darkness. He will always be remembered fondly and with immeasurable amounts of love. I hope our genie has finally found his peace and is no longer in any pain.

We're new here: Q&A

Aloha! For a while now I've been wanting to start properly vlogging and blogging and seeing as I sort of have the latter of those projects started, I figured I'd give the former a try as well! I filmed a very simple Q&A with my friend Jordan (who's blog can be located >here<, go give him some love). We hope to continue this wee project but in fairness knowing us we can't promise any consistency with that!
Anyway without further ado, go ahead and follow this lil link right >here< and watch the video. For some reason I couldn't put it up directly onto the blog so I'm afraid a link is as good as I can do right now!
Likers and commenters get lollies and my eternal love <3

Quote of the Day

"It's a singers job to carry other people's feelings... [So] you can have a way of expressing all the stuff you can't get in touch with otherwise."

Sinéad O'Connor

Say whatever you want about Sinéad O'Connor, that lady sure as hell knows what's up.