Mini adventure: Belfast

Last Wednesday two of my close friends and I packed our bags and went on a little adventure to the emerald isle. As with everything we do, we done it in our own style. Flying to Dublin when we were staying in Belfast and booking the hotel til Monday when we were only there til Saturday. It worked in our favour however though as we got to see a little more of Ireland and nurse our Sunday hangover before we left. We were staying in the CitiLodge which was a VERY basic little B&B, the staff were friendly and the rooms were clean though and if you're looking for a cheap little place to lay your head it fits the bill.

I definitely want to go back and see more of Ireland. We spent five days in total although the first and last were mainly spent getting settled/travelling. There was so much to do that our five little days were packed full of fun. We barely done anything when you consider the amount of things to see and do but it was a great little trip that gave us a taste of the countryside, nightlife and attractions.

Day 1 - We flew out from Glasgow Prestwick to Dublin airport in the morning and after finding the station we got on to the Belfast train to Connolly station. The train was just over two hours long and we spent it drinking irish cider and discussing our plans for the week. Once we arrived in Belfast we headed for the hotel in a taxi, unpacked and went for a wander. After some food from a subway next to our hotel we hit the town, heading to the pub Filthy McNastys (Epic name) and then heading to Thompsons night club. Filthy's was my favourite pub that we came across, they have a beautiful "secret" beer garden with live music and beautiful fairy lights. If I couldve taken anything home it wouldve been this pub!

Day 2 - We woke up our first morning with a woman down (bad hangover) so two of us headed for lunchtime cocktails to boost our spirits. We headed to the empire bar which is a converted theatre. It has an amazing burlesque feel and the spirits were strong! After one too many we floated along to the hotel for a drunken daytime nap before heading to nandos and getting ready for the night! We headed out to the Odessy arena to see Example (for the second time in two weeks - not obsessed I swear) and it was absoloutley brilliant. We had seated seats and had a great view to watch as we danced our socks off! After the concert we headed to Mono nightclub, not my favourite of the holiday but its pink glittery bar did make my heart flutter a little!

Day 3 - We had planned on doing a day trip on Friday but after one too many the night before we slept in so instead we went to the zoo! I can't even begin to describe how much I love going to the zoo and the one in Belfast didn't disappoint. Elephants, penguins, seals, giraffes, lions and baby goats! really I could've spent the entire weekend at the zoo and I would've been happy. It was only £5 to get into as well which is really great considering the last time I went to Edinburgh's it was £16! Once we calmed from the excitement of baby goats we went for a Wetherspoons and then headed out to rain nightclub, it was a decent size and had some really pretty dancers that looked like candy floss. Yummy!

Day 4 - We finally managed to muster up some morning energy to get our bus trip and I'm so glad we did. We booked the trip to the giants causeway for £16 and we were away from 9am til 5pm, stopping off at photo spots and being told Irish history and legends as we drove through the countryside. One of the main stops was at a rope bridge, it was such an amazing/scary experience and once we crossed it we had a beautiful view. However the view paled in comparison to our main stop at the giants causeway which is is and incredible sight of naturally occurring hexagon shaped stones. After the trip we went out for Chinese at Lees Garden, it was one of the nicest Chinese restaurants I've been into and was a lovely last night meal! Afterwards we spent our last night in Filthy s drinking, dancing and singing along!

Day 5 - Said our goodbyes to the emerald isle with a cheeky Wetherspoons lunch and headed for the station  then the airport. Bought the obligatory trinkets at the airport and made a promise to ourselves to come back and see more of the sights. Overall a week well spent!

Review - John Frieda Salon blends precision foam colour in light bronze brown.

Recently I was contacted by John Frieda asking me if I would like to try out their new salon blends precision foam colour. I've been on a hair dye/cut ban since August in an attempt to grow my hair but I jumped at the chance as my hair has been desperately needing a little TLC. This new range has been developed by experts to give you salon colour quality at home. I've never used a foam colour before but it said (and was) as easy to use as shampoo. 

When I opened the box I found what you would expect in a home dye kit. A bottle each of developer, colourant and conditioner. It also contains instructions for use, black gloves and a foam dispenser to put on top of the developers bottle. It all looks very sleek and professional and I was ridiculously excited at the prospect of using half decent gloves to dye my hair as the typical size XXL ones you get in dye kits are more hassle than their worth. 

After getting my gloves on and reading the instructions I got started. To mix the foam dye you simply put the colour into the developer and tilt the bottle until the two have combined. It was very specific that you do not shake the bottle like you do with standard dye kits. Then you pop the foam nozzle on and squeeze the bottle to get the foam out. It was a really simple process and there was no mess at all. When I was applying the dye I got a little bit on my arm, I waited until I has used all the dye before I cleaned it off and it was easily removed. I then sat back and watched an episode of big bang theory whilst waiting to remove the dye. Once removed and conditioned with some of the conditioner tube I managed to see the results.

I was left with silky smooth, glossy hair. Its a reddish brown colour and I'm absoloutley in love with it. I'll definitely be repurchasing the dye to use again. The dyes can be bought for around £10 which although isn't the cheapest brand on the market its definitely cheaper than going to the hairdressers and spending £60 for a colour.  Simple to use, value for money, stylish locks. Happy Morgan! 

Review - Soap & Glory's Face soap and clarity

Disaster struck in my household last week when my trusty bottle of Neutrogena visibly clear decided to fill up with water from the shower leaving me with a watery solution that was no use on my little face! Luckily though I received a Soap and Glory hamper for Christmas that had a tube of their face soap and clarity facial wash in it. I suffer from bad skin so when I find a product that works for me I don't change it until it stops working for me so I was a little scared when swapping to S&G I am however a lover of their products so I hoped for good things.

I've been using the wash for the last week and I've been pleasantly surprised. I'm breakout free with lovely radiant skin. The wash itself is quite a thick gel with a touch of exfoliant in it which smells and looks lovely. It leaves my skin feeling fresh and clean and although I wouldn't say that its helped improve my skin its definitely friendly towards it, I'll definitely continue to use it and most likely repurchase. The product isn't designed for problem skin so you can't ask of it to do amazing things to it but it does give you what is promises which is "super clean, fresh and bright skin that you can rely on" and as I've got my skin under control from other things I would say that I've definitely been converted to the ways of the face soap. The smell, consistency and not to mention packaging is all just too lovely to shy away from. I checked on-line and its available from boots for £7 which in my opinion for the product is a great price. Thumbs up for face soap! Sorry neutrogena..

Review - Chanel 4 Les Ombres Mystic eyes quad

Whenever I go on a girly trip with my mum she likes to treat me to a little special something and when we went on holiday a three months ago it was no different. This is a long overdue post as not only has it been in my little collection for quite some time now it has been used countless times! The gem in question that she bought me was the Chanel mystic eyes quad. It was purchased with euros but its priced roughly around £37 in the UK. 

The quad consists of a dark brown, pale pink, a silvery brown and a light brown. The three browns all have a light shimmer in them and the quad can produce various smoky eye effects. I've been using the quad for a classic smoky eye look for nights out and I've used the lighter colours on their own to add a little extra something in my every day look. My favourite colour in the quad has got to be the silvery brown, although its not as pigmented as I would like using a primer and a little extra application gives me the desired result. The other shades are quite highly pigmented which is great, it makes me sad though knowing that my favourite shade in the quad will most definitely be finished before the other three. Chanel take note, I want a refillable quad!

Aside from that I am totally in love and have pretty much abandoned all other eye make up. My mum and I have dubbed it the "party hard eye palette" as on more than one occasion I've went out for a night out and returned the next day, like death but with my eye make up completely intact. Definitely worth the money in my opinion!

January Roundup

January has been one hectic month for me! The beginning of the month was filled with birthday celebrations and a little getaway to the sun and then when I returned it was filled with lots of nights out, getting back into a work routine and an amazing trip to Edinburgh Zoo to see the amazing new addition - the pandas!

I'm going to start to do a roundup at the end of each month talking about my favourite things/happenings of the month. This is the first so here we go!

Most used beauty products this month:
- Soap and Glory Off your face, face wipes: I got the amazing soap and glory bath hamper for Christmas and I'm loving these wipes. I usually just pick up little cheapy ones in the supermarket but I think I might have converted. When Ive had a little too much to drink these are amazing at taking my make up off at the end of the night!
- Jimmy Choo perfume: Another Christmas present that I adore. I usually go for really sweet girly perfumes but this is a lot more mature and its very sophisticated. Maybe I'm growing up!
-Sleek dark brow kit: As much as there's a million out there I've been meaning to do a review of this. I was using a GOSH brow kit but I picked the sleek one up on a whim and I've fallen in love. So easy to use and get a quick and simple look. love love love.

Fashion fancies this month:
- My red quilted mango handbag: Got it for 20 euros in a sale in Furteventura. Goes with everything.
- Aztec prints: Its in every shop. Very hedonistic summer party esque. Some must be purchased for Ibiza!

Whats kept me occupied:
- The time of my life by Cecilia Ahern: A wonderful read, funny and heart warming. Great for a poolside or bath time read.
- Monster pet shop Game: This app for the iPhone is amazing. So addicted. Its Cafe World meets tamagotchi. Add me as a neighbour through game center and get playing my username is: Kisses(and)Curls

Whats coming to kiss and curl next month:
- Reviews on: HeadKandy hair extensions, Sleeks dark brow kit, Clinique chubby sticks and various other beauty products.
- Tutorials/tips on: Washing hair extensions, various nail arts, quick cocktails and most of all causing trouble.. in a good way!

Thanks for reading. Did you like this post? Would you like to see this again? What would you like to see in February? Leave a comment below, drop me an email or follow me on twitter at @kissesandcurls