Emma Waldron Blog Feed

The perfect Valentine's Day gifts

2013-02-01T18:23:00.000Z

Oftentimes, showing the one we love how much we care about them can be tricky. We can repeat those three magic words ad nauseum but really, what we really want is gifts. Right? Money can’t buy you love, but it can certainly help to get the ball rolling!

Excuse the intentional shallow fumes and instead recall the excitement you feel when your partner surprises you with a gift. Allow me to set the mood. You’ve had a long day at work/college/school/sitting infront of the TV and suddenly your knight in shining armour arrives home with something out of the ordinary. But it's not petrol station flowers, oh no, rather a perfectly wrapped parcel. Yes, that ‘he’s so thoughtful’ moment we all dream of. Roughly translated as ‘I’m getting laid tonight’ in guy-talk.

So this is less about how to shower someone in gifts and more about how to get what we all want. Ladies and love, lads getting laid. Mom, I think it’s time you stopped reading my blog. It’s taken a sudden turn for the gutter. Everyone else, read on if you please if you will!

Not all of us are hooked up this V-Day however, but that doesn’t mean we can’t treat ourselves. I for one am a firm believe in the 'if I don’t love me I can’t love you' rule and self-indulge, often. Do blame me if this lands you in a spot of trouble.

Selfridges has put together a whole section devoted to fashionable, gorgeous goodies to make the woman of your dreams weak this Valentine's Day. From Marc Jacobs ipad covers and Mulberry purses, to sexy neglige’s and luxurious chocolates, that, as my good pal Fifty would say, will ‘melt in your mouth not in your hand’.

Accessorieeees to make you weak at the knees!

Let’s take it from the God of all things GORGEOUS Marc Jacobs. There are tonnes of stunning gifts you can pick up for next to nothing. Sight exaggeration. But almost next to nothing. Almost.

One of my favourite Marc Jacobs accessories is this stunning candy pink tablet case! They are just gorgeous and so reasonably priced.

This Marc Jacob turnlock bracelet is one of my ‘must-have’ accessory for Spring/Summer 2013. For us Irish Folk of the pale skin variety Rose Gold is really great with our complexion so you really have no excuse not to get this!!

Nicholas Kirkwood designs shoes that are unique and vibrant. They will transform any outfit. The swirl designs are fun and playful whilst his monochrome tones are sophisticated and elegant. There is something for everyone.

Stella McCartney’s Falabella chain bags are so popular and are the perfect gift for ladies who love bags, which means everyone! I adore this python-print bag with the luminous yellow seam. The light grey colour is also great and now that Spring is upon us the salmon pink Falabella is a fantastic addition to your wardrobe.

Cute little phone cases too! Check this one out! :)

U-n-i-sex watch! WATCH OUT! :)
Ladies and gents this is a stunning timepiece that will allow your man or woman to count down the minutes until they see you!

Still worried that she might not know that you love her? Well why not give her this Astley Clarke rose gold bracelet so show will always know your true feelings.

This stunning Givenchy pandora wallet with the signature letter logo is stylish and practical.

Dress to Impress:

Lingerie is always a great way to spice up a night with your loved one. Just be careful not to jump the gun if you’re only with someone a short time, this gift unless coupled with something else might send out the wrong message. However, if you’re intentions are crystal clear there is nothing more sexy than wearing lingerie your partner has bought you. They get just as much of a kick out of it as you do! Just make sure it’s the right size :)

Stella McCartney's soft and sensual lingerie will flatter any figure. The delicate fabric feels beautiful to touch and to wear.

I love the feminity and sensuality of Myla’s lingerie. They are sexy and playful, a double threat that is sure to have your man hopping! I love the cheeky reveal in this set below.

When paired with this gorgeous Kimono they are the perfect combination.

Now for something equally sexy to put on over your lingerie! These figure-hugging bandage Herve Leger dresses are still hopping off the shelves. There are some gorgeous new colours to have your beauty like Chris de Burgh’s Lady in Red.

Alexander McQueen's iconic skull motif can be worked into every look with this silk-chiffon scarf. Finished with a signature logo, this scarf will have your girl looking delectable.

If none of these tickly your fancy why not check out their Gifts for Her section here or here. There are plenty of items to make her heart melt!!

Love. February 14th.

2013-01-29T21:50:00.000Z

Love,
I tried to get to know you once,
but mine that caressed yours burned.
my wound healed,
i tried again.
this time i took care,
i studied you,
i learned your weaknesses
i examined your powers,
i carved myself a place in yours,
a place to sit like,
i used to when i was a toddler,
under the highchair,
safe,
hidden,
able to see it all.
the world passing by
but i unharmed, untouchable
you felt good to me, love, 
although hurt before
i wanted to know you.
although i knew you.
you are in me
but still i seek you.
lucky am i to have given you 
a second chance.
lucky are you to have, let me,
let me, carve that place,
that space i occupy, love. 


- Emma Waldron

Spring '13 Shoe Trend: Cut Out

2013-01-08T17:34:04.000Z

Shoe to make you salivate. One red hot trend this Spring in both clothing and accessories is Cut-Out designs. The cut-out dress has been prominent for a number of seasons but it has finally reached the footwear this season. These are my favourite picks from the Spring 2013 runways.

Alejandro Ingelmo

Alexander Wang

Giuseppe Zanotti

These kind of qualify as cut-out, kind of. Even though they're not really..but I adore them so...They're staying put here. Ahhh.

Versace

Designer Wellies for under 20euro!

2013-01-08T16:15:00.000Z

Hunter boots have been the most sought after wellington on the market for over 150 years. During the festival season they are staple part of every girls wardrobe and this year, wearing wellies in winter has now become a major trend.

Hunter have the perfect remedy for cold feet this winter and at a price your pocket will love. You can turn your bargain boots into designer boots for under €20 with their Hunter Welly Fleece Socks. Check them out!

Hunter Welly Fleece Socks €17.78

Available here on neimanmarcus.com.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

2012-12-18T23:42:00.000Z

Pardon my shockingly bad photographs! I just couldn't leave the blog beginning with a negative post, I can't do it. I can't do it!!! Have you guys seen those cool SMINKY ANIMATIONS videos?? They're so so funny. If you're not from Ireland you will have no clue what these guys are saying, they're far removed from the 'Irish' accents you see in Hollywood movies. Not so sexy now is it!?? Watch the videos and you'll see!

Totally unrelated to Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant with two free gifts. Not one but TWO! Yippee, fun for all the family. I'm hyper I need to calm down!

You know you've a strong brand following when you can actually use a makey-uppy word in the product's name. Microfoliant. I suppose exfoliant was that little bit too long...

All jokes aside, this product ~~ROCs~~ ROCKS!!! The product is actually a powder that turns to foam when it makes contact with water. You only need a small amount and the large bottle lasts a long time. It is quite expensive but because of it's longevity it is worth buying it when/if you can.

Microfoliant is a gentle exfoliant which won't damage the skin. Oftentimes, when I'm using an exfoliant I worry that it is too harsh for my skin as it marks easily but Microfoliant is easy on your skin. It helps to even skin tone, clean your pores, prevent spots and balance the oily-dry areas of your face. I am a huge fan of the product. If you're going to treat yourself to something this month I recommend this.

You can buy Dermalogica Microfoliant from Liberty London here.

If you're still not convinced check out the video below!

Essie absolute disaster.

2012-12-18T23:17:58.000Z

Hrm. Where do I start with this one? In general, with my life and with my website I try to remain as positive and realistic as possible. I try to think of kind words to say whilst not letting anyone believe the product is perfect if it isn't. Now, what do you do if you struggle to find something possitive to say about a well renouned brand who has made an absolute balls of a product. I guess here is the answer:

Essie, is a well known high end nail varnish brand that can be purchased from the best department and beauty stores worldwide. I have always held the brand in high esteem until recently when I tried their 'Action' nail varnish. Now, while I'm aware that this colour orange might not be everyones cup of tea, it isn't the colour that I don't like. Let's just get that out of the way first!

From a business point of view I am baffled at how this product managed to pass the companies quality and standards check. The polish is not matte and has no sheen. It is lifeless and dull. After three coats the nail underneath can still be seen. It clumps at the edge of the nail in a large mound of polish that seems to flow from the centre of the nail and rest there like two large speed bumps. I'm sure if the product was combined with a seriously amazing top coat it wouldn't be the worst product in the world, but if that's the case and it can only look good with a top coat, then it should be sold as part of a set and the customer should be aware of how to achieve the best results.

I am shocked that a brand could allow such a product to have their name on it. If it was my business, I would be conscious that this polish could be the first polish that someone buys. This is their first and only impression of my brand. They are a future customer and my goal is to have them want to buy the product again and again. That is my aim as a business woman selling a product. Every product has to make you want to come back and try more surely?

Not the best photo (please forgive me!)

If I had never tried an Essie product and this was my first experience not only would I would NEVER use their products again, but I would be sure to tell all my friends. Two lessons to learn from this. Never allow a crap product to bear your brand name and never allow yourself be won over by a brand. Just because it bears a name doesn't make it a good product.

Rant over.

Phan phun photo!

2012-12-16T15:09:48.000Z

Thanks so much to Devorn Causer Host for this cool edit he's created of one of my favourite photos from a shoot with Lili Forberg. You're so talented! Thank you!

Emma x

Nails Inc Leather and Skull Nail Varnish

2012-12-15T19:08:00.000Z

Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another body part to adorn with leather, Nails Inc has managed to add one more to the list. Nails Inc has an incredible new nail polish that gives a remarkably realistic leather effect to your nails.

This is the perfect partner for any ensemble and is expected to sell out shortly so get your skates on if you're looking to buy it for the holiday season! The pack includes diamonté embellished skulls to complete your homemade mani. Definitely a great stocking filler or gift for yourself because, if you don't treat yourself who will?!

I haven't tried the brown colour but just judging from the images the colour looks a bit manky and I don't think I'd ever use it. But the black colour is absolutely awesome and definitely one of my favourite varnishes from a great brand. Buy it here before they sell out! :) x

Let me know what you think about it or if you've tried it below!

Selfridges Lucky Bag

2012-12-11T21:35:00.000Z

On the 14th of Novemeber Selfridges launched the ultimate gift for girls, the Lucky Bag. In this magical mysterious mála there are five 'wonder products' from The Beauty Workshop. 'What is The Beauty Workshop?', I hear you say. It's the all new beauty hub in Selfridges, London. Check out the link http://style.selfridges.com/self-tv/tour-beauty-workshop to see a video tour of it. If you're Irish like me, this alone is worth the flight. If a flight is beyond your budget, Selfridges have managed to take The Beauty Workshop to you, using their unique Lucky Bag.

The term Lucky Bag, reminds most of us of our childhood. Of the days when we tore open the foil wrapper, inhaled the overpowering aroma of plastic and dug our hands deep into the bag where the anticipation of what was in store was appeased. We begged our parents for these Lucky Bags every time we passed the local shop. The novelty lay in the uncertainty of what was in store. I never imagined I'd experience that feeling again, but I did.

Unlike my childhood Lucky Bag, this bag is hidden in a special yellow Selfridges box. I carefully took away the tape and delved into large bubbled bubble wrap (that's the technical term for it!), which seemed to go on forever, my anticipation of what was in store made it feel longer than it actually was! The Lucky Bag itself is made of a thick card dotted with a beautiful high-fashion image and Selfridges logo.

Inside there were five treats which you get for £15. I received:

James Read Wash Off Tan 30mls

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 14oz

Anatomicals Snog Me Sensless Mints 16g

REN Moroccan Rose Otto Body Wash 50mls

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Demure 10ml

For some reason I actually got 7 products (lucky divil!) I also got Dermalogica Microfoliant and a really cool little lip balm which is called Disco Duck, in Creme Brulée. Yum. I have it on my desk in work. It makes me so happy just looking at it! It's the simple things.

If you're really lucky you might receive a Selfridges gift card for up to £170 or €210!

The Lucky Bag didn't get the best press but I think people are really expecting way too much. You pay £15 and get to try some of the best products from premium brands. Granted while I could live without the Anatomicals Snog Me Senseless mints I actually quite like them. I also discovered the coolest Lip Colour EVER, which you can see in my 5 Winter Hair Products Vblog. You get to sample some treats whilst not breaking the bank. Not everyone can afford the full price of luxury products so it's definitely not to be sniffed at.

For the excitement it gave me, the happiness my Disco Duck brings me on a regular basis and the fantastic Lip Tar find I would highly recommend the Lucky Bag.

Ciaté Sequined Manicure

2012-12-11T14:24:00.000Z

Adorn your nails with the Ciaté Sequined Manicure this Christmas. Autumn/Winter 2012-13 runways shimmered with embellishment at Roberto Cavalli, Temperley, Balmain and Dolce & Gabbana. Get a slice of opulent A-List star style for yourself by accessorizing with their three must-have metallic blends; Harlequin - primary multi-colour mix, Tutu - pink, purples and reds and Super Duper- golds, coppers and greens.

Ciaté’s Sequined Manicure has to be worn sensibly as it can be excessive when applied to all nails. For the best results that will have you looking catwalk fresh, try applying it just to your ring fingers, tips or in a crescent moon shape in a reverse mani. At emmawaldron.com, we think that the nail trend is here to stay. Each season there is greater emphasis being placed on nail art on the runway. This has transcended from runway to high-street style and that is why we think Ciaté is a must this season. In fact, it’s so hot it sold out immediately when it went on sale in Sephora. It’s available to buy online here. If the sequins don’t appeal to you why not try their velvet manicure.

The Sequined Manicure Application

Step 1. Ensure your nail bed is clean and oil free by wiping with nail polish remover.

Step 2. Apply one coat of the enclosed Ciaté Glitter Grip and leave to dry.

Step 3. Working on one nail at a time, apply a second coat of Ciaté Glitter Grip and delicately roll the wet nail into your pot of Sequin Coat.

Step 4. Gently press and compac the Sequin Coat on to your nail bed, sweeping away any excess using your Little Black Brush.

Step 5. Once finished, complete with a final top coat of Ciaté Glitter Grip and leave your nails to completely dry for 15-20 minutes.

Viola! You now have stunningly Sequined nails!

Video Tutorial coming soon!

To purchase this product click here.

Balenciaga you beaut!

2012-12-05T22:44:00.000Z

Balenciaga was one of my absolute favourite shows of Spring/Summer 2013. The leather and monochrome trends are still very prominent features of Balenciaga's SS13 but they are combined with a cropping and assymetrical tailoring to keep it looking light and fresh. This shirt is actually made from guipure and is a much more heat-friendly alternative fabric to leather! Check out the legs on this gorgeous gal!

The handkerchief style shorts which look like skirts are short this season! But boy are they beautiful. Nicholas Ghesquiere has managed to get that impossible balance between beautiful tailoring and sex appeal.

We've seen the cut-out trend emerge over the last few seasons, and in this collection, Balenciaga takes this one step further, allowing the midrif become a part of the design.

I adore the masculine edgy suit combined with a sexy revealed undergarment.

It's not often that there is a collection that is released that can be worn so well on both the catwalk and the sidewalk. I love the accessibility of this Balenciaga collection. It will have fashion lovers in a frenzy upon it's release. Let me know what you think of the collection in the comment box below! Don't forget to share the post or RT if you liked it :)

Holiday Beauty Secrets

2012-12-05T16:37:00.000Z

Liberty Holiday Secrets Post:

Get Beautified this Party Season

We all love getting done up for parties. From hair to nails to eye shadow, having a flawless look is crucial to looking party-perfect. If your Christmas schedule is busy, here are a few solutions to get you prepared for this jolly season:

1. Choose the right Fragrances

Looking perfect isn’t all in what you see. The fragrance you choose can also have a big impact. So why not choose the best? These Liberty fragrances will surely be a conversation starter at any party.

Escentric Molecules 02 100ML Perfume

Le Labo Oud 27 Perfume

Diptyque L'Ombre Dans L'Eau EDT 50mls

2. Rock the Peacock

Nars Duo Eyeshadow in Mari-Galante

3. Lengthen your Lashes

Shu Ueruma Black Slant False Lashes

4. Go Lipstick Crazy

Nars Heatwave

Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme Lipstick

Badass Boot

2012-11-24T16:02:58.000Z

It's that time of year again. Say Goodbye to your impracticle flats and open your arms to the lucious leather boots that will be the staple feature of every outfit this Winter. Whether it's loose fitting above the knee boots, sky scraper ankle boots, concealed wedge boots, or transparent heeled boots one can't escape the 'badass boot' this winter. I spend hours at night trawling online stores looking for boots. Thus far none can compare to the Givenchy A/W collection. Man those bad boys would break your heart. They aren't exactly cheap but jeans and boots are always a good investment. So try and hold me back. It's not happening. Here are some of my absolute faves. Click on the images to see the prices and depress yourself. Join me!

Let's start with my absolute favourite.

Givenchy Shark Tooth Covered Shaft Knee Boot

Givenchy Layered Shaft Tall Boot

Zara High Cut Wedge Boots

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M Tall Transparent Wedge Boot

Zara High-Heel Fringed Ankle Boot

River Island Black Studded Biker Boot

Alexander Wang Kolfina

Zara Red Studded Ankle Boot

Christian Louboutin Equestria

Topshop Lace Wing Ankle Boots by CJG

Badass Boots

2012-11-24T15:22:03.000Z

It's that time of year again. Say Goodbye to your impracticle flats and open your arms to the lucious leather boots that will be the staple feature of every outfit this Winter. Whether it's a pair of ankle boots with a skirt, or loose above the knee boots one can't escape the badass boot. I spend hours at night trawling online stores looking for boots. Thus far none can compare to the Givenchy A/W collection. Man those bad boys would break your heart. They aren't exactly cheap but jeans and boots are always a good investment. So try and hold me back. It's not happening. Here are some of my absolute faves. Click on the images to see the prices and depress yourself. Join me!

Let's start with my absolute favourite.

Givenchy Shark Tooth Covered Shaft Knee Boot

Givenchy Layered Shaft Tall Over the Knee Boot

Zara High Cut Wedge Boot

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M Transparent Heel Tall Brown Leather Boot

River Island Grey Military Ankle Boot

3 Ways to Winter-Proof Your Wardrobe

2012-11-10T12:50:00.000Z

Don’t be beaten by the freezing weather outside, dressing for cold climates can still be chic. We show you how with three top tips for winter proofing your wardrobe.

1. Pad up

Super warm and extra cosy, the jacket is having a moment. From Moncler’s chalet-ready styles to a digital redux by Peter Pilotto, here’s no hotter way to wrap up warm this winter.

2. Faux friends

Take your style cue from Keira Knightley’s Anna Karenina and bring a decadent feel to cold weather looks with faux fur accessories. Blanche in the Brambles’ luxurious ear muffs are topping our Christmas list as is Mulberry furry Maisie (but not for practical reasons of course!).

3. New heights

The perfect addition to your winter armour, this season it’s all about the knee high boot. Topshop and Givenchy show us how its done but for an edgier take on the trend, follow Victoria Beckham’s lead and pair biker boots with chunky knee high socks.

All clothes available from selfridges.com

Forgiveness

2012-08-27T07:00:00.000Z

She gazed into his eyes searching for answers to the questions racing through her mind.
Does he really love me? Is he really sorry? Can this continue? Do I love him enough to stay? She lowered her eyes and looked at her hands clasped together, resting on the white linen tablecloth. Her fingers intertwined and held close to her body as if to prevent him from hearing her thoughts. The candlelight flickering furiously casting light and shadows onto her turquoise sun dress. Her heart-rate had reached a steady fast pace, the speed of an impatient secretary tapping her pen restlessly on her desk. ‘She looks so beautiful when she’s upset,’ thought her grieving lover, ‘if only I wasn’t the cause.’ He was normally the one to comfort her. She sat opposite him, after all these years, as if he was a criminal, a stranger, an animal. Not the man she knew. She knew him. Inside out. But she wasn’t looking at that same man anymore. She looked at him and saw someone else. Her head still lowered, focusing on the gold bangle her had gotten her for their last anniversary. A thick solid symbol of eternity dotted with smaller circles that represented life’s small challenges, halved in the middle signifying their dual attempt to conquer those challenges, or so he had said. She remembers seeing the red package. She loved gifts. She remembers that feeling of hope, expectation and delight upon finally unveiling it. A symbol of their love. The circles made whole because the two semi-circles were together. He explained that they were like semi-circles. Joined together to create something bigger and better than themselves. Something powerful. The same shape as the sun that gives life, without the sun nothing can exist as it does on this earth. Without their bond, there is no life as they knew it . This is what he said anyway. So now she sits questioning if there is life after this union, or if that is something she wants. A tear forms, he can see it gathering around her lower lash line. It breaks his heart. He wishes to take her face in his two hands, to take his thumb and softly brush the tear from her eyes, to kiss her forehead and remind her that it’s just me and you. But as his thought ends the tear slowly travels along her thick dark lashes and drops onto the bracelet he had given her. She looks up at him, her eye lashes touching her brow bone as she raises her head. She sighs. One more time. One last try. We all make mistakes. He makes her happy. She unlocks her hands, taking one and placing it on his. Her palms are sweaty, warm. They sit in silence. Relieved that the moment is over. Forgiveness.

This is fiction.

Who am i?

2012-08-20T20:16:00.000Z

We are all in search of the answer to the same question. Our journey in life is determined by who we are. We take certain paths because of our internal compass. Are we predetermined? We are lead to further self-discovery and change. We are not stagnant. We are not immiscible. We are dynamic. We cannot change unless we self-reflect. Until we come to terms with who it is that we are and what it is that makes us behave in the manner in which we do. Who am i?

Who am i?

I am strong-minded
I am porous
I am passionate
I am out-spoken
I am delicate
I am not afraid to be different
I am self-effacing
I am unsure of myself
I am kind
I am open to learn from you
I am self-conscious
I am quick to anger
I am slow to forget
I am ambitious
I am driven
I am stubborn
I am shy
I am desperate to be loved, truly
I am brittle
I am strong
I am afraid to be alone
I am warm
I am intense
I am awkward
I am reflective
I am assertive
I am uncertain
I am conscientious
I am artistic
I am timorous
I am afraid to be a failure
I am brazen
I am courageous
I am eager to make you proud
I am scared to disappoint you
I am searching
I am elastic
I am naked
I am exposed
I am simple
I am silly
I am naive
I am happy
I am spiritual
I am sensual
I am forgiving
I am tough on others and myself
I am creative
I am spontaneous
I am dependent on those around me for self-worth
I am not afraid to be different
I am frightened of what you will think of me
I am determined to not care what you think
I am maternal
I am imaginative
I am musical
I am giving
I am studious
I am a good listener
I am indecisive
I am flirtatious
I am feminine
I am deeper than what you think I am
I am more than what you expect me to be
I am careful
I am constantly searching to make myself better
I am learning from you
I am relaxed
I am calm
I am unsettled by negativity
I am open to change
I am weak
I am not always in control of my emotions
I am vulnerable
I am Human.

We are all searching for the answer to the same question.

Hi, my name is Emma and I am a...

10 things to look for when buying a new home.

Luscious Lashes from Up To My Eyes

2012-08-17T11:45:00.000Z

When I try to conjure up what the essence of feminine beauty is, I often visualise Jessica Rabbit, a fictional cartoon character, batting her lashes. As females, there is something ferociously sensual and powerful about our eyes. Jessica had the women looking on in envy whilst the men were weak at the knees. The power of our eyes is such that they can convey our feelings without us ever saying a word. This is not always a good thing as often our eyes can betray our secrets and reveal our pain. We’ve all heard the tale of the couple’s eyes meeting across the bar. In the Hindu tradition the power of the eyes is such that eye contact is not made in public, even between husband and wife.

We often use makeup to draw attention to the shape or colour of our eyes. We use tonnes of mascara to achieve that 'long lustrous lash' look made famous by exaggerated celebrities like Kim Kardashian who ooze sexuality and femininity. In recent times the eye lash extension trend has taken off but few places can compare in quality to that of Up To My Eyes in Greystones. An enchanting cosy hideaway that feels like a different world. When you step inside, the clean and bright pink and white decor is aesthetically pleasing as are the pleasant smiles from the friendly staff. I had had a very bad experience with lash extensions about 8 months previously and was quite reluctant to undergo this treatment, but after being convinced by my friends I eventually gave in. All of the girls have had their lashes done there and all of them recommend them highly. Rosanna Davison and Karena Graham’s stunning faces adorn the walls and website of Up To My Eyes and they certainly are both great advertisements for the salon.

Elaine McParland, the proprietor, spoke to me about what inspired her to open Up To My Eyes. She had attempted to get lash extensions in Ireland and had been disappointed by the standard that was on offer so she decided she would solve her own problem by setting up her own eyelash and eyebrow service.

Every other eyelash salon that I’ve been in has offered a very limited range of lashes. Up To My Eyes is like a candy store filled with all different shapes- straight, curly and curlier, in all different sizes that cater to all ethnicities and lash types. I chose the long, thick and curly D Lashes as recommended for me by the professionally trained specialists. They will advise as to what suits you best depending on your own natural lashes.

The treatment takes about two hours, which sounds like a long time, but it passed very quickly because after a few polite exchanges I fell into a slumber and woke just as my treatment was finished. This, I’ve been told by Elaine, is not unusual.

I absolutely love the lashes. Once you have the lashes you don’t need touse any product to enhance your lashes, that means no mascara or false lashes. The lashes themselves are weightless and feel like your natural lashes, which is exactly how the extensions should feel. However, as any of your who’ve had lash extensions applied elsewhere, this is not often the case. The lashes fall out at the same rate as your own lashes would and the specialists ensure that the lashes are not too long or heavy for your own natural lash, as this would break your natural lash. If you were to get any beauty treatment this year, I would recommend this. For any brides looking into wedding makeup looks, these are a must.

Personally, I love not having to use mascara and they actually make me use less makeup because the lashes help to enhance my natural beauty.The lashes last up to 6 weeks and refills are between 40-50euro.

If you’re interested in getting the same eye lash extensions as me why not contact them here:
T: 01 287 2781
E: info@uptomyeyes.ie

For more information about the other services at Up To My Eyes check out their website here.

Total Recall Red Carpet Interview

2012-08-17T11:37:00.000Z

Hey guys! I'm nervous about sharing this interview with you all! Bare in mind that it was my first time ever interviewing them on the red carpet so I haven't gotten it down to a T yet..but I learned so much from the experience. I hope you like it anyway and hopefully next time it will be even better :)

Anna was 14, Turn off the Red Light

2012-08-17T11:15:27.000Z

Today Turn off the Red Light has launched it’s campaign to end prostitution and sex slavery in Ireland. Sex trafficking of young women in a modern form of slavery. It exploits the vulnerable and the young. Anna was 14 years old when she was first exploited in prostitution.

14 years old is the age that many of us had our first crush, our first kiss, our first boyfriend. Anna had her first sexual encounter as a prostitute. Women in the sex industry suffer serious harm emotionally and physically being forced to provide sex to numerous men on a daily basis.

Young girls like Anna are controlled by the person running their prostitution agency, they never know who or how many people they are expected to have sex with. They are often made to fell worthless so that they feel that they are nothing without their agent. Many people argue that prostitution is a harmless encounter made between two consenting adults. But this is not true. Most women in prostitution had few choice when they entered the sex industry. Turn off the red light campaign wants to end prostitution and the sale of sex in Ireland.

To learn more about the myths and facts about prostitution click here.

To learn more about the campaign click here.

Here at emmawaldron.com we urge you to get involved. This is a serious issue. Show your support by tweeting about the campaign using the hashtag #annawas14

Together our voice will be heard.

Emma

The Perfect Upstyle: The Chignon/Bun

2012-08-16T09:07:00.000Z

I’m always looking for new hairstyles to try out and for new methods for improving my hairstyles. When I discovered this magical hair donut I was delighted. It is a ‘must have’ hair products in every woman’s accessory drawer. This very affordable tool will allow you to transform yourself into a goddess in a matter of minutes.

The chignon, or bun as it’s commonly referred to, is a versatile style that can be rocked day or night, at casual or formal occasions. Some of the biggest stars have been spotted rocking this style to events and awards shows and some have even used the foam hair donut to create their wedding upstyles. If you’ve an event like a debs, prom or wedding coming up this is definitely going to appeal to you. It is perfect for those of us on a budget who are looking to save money, give this a try and see if it’s for you!

The products that I am using for this tutorial are:

1. Elnett Hairspray
2. Bobby/Hair Pins
3. Two Hair Ties, One with a hook on either end, the other just a regular tie.
4. Hair Donut - size is dependent on the length of your hair
(The one I used is available here:http://shop.velcrosleeprollers.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=2...)

If you've any questions leave me a comment below and I'll answer it!

Thank you! Enjoy the video! :)

Totes Recall my first r.c interview done and dusted!

2012-08-14T23:38:00.000Z

I DID IT!!! I made it through my first ever premiere, on the other side of the red carpet!! It was so different asking the questions. I really enjoyed it. It's much more difficult having to stand in front of the likes of Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel and pose questions you hope will inspire length profound answers than it is to answer questions posed to you about yourself. Heck I could talk about myself for hours!!!! Not so sure that came out the way I meant it...what I mean is that I know myself so well, having lived 23 years with myself, that I have plenty to say. In alls in anyways, it was a fun experience. This video is not edited and it literally was taken just as I got home so don't slag the lighting, camera angle or anything, it's not supposed to be professional but rather the random babblings of a blondie!! :) Enjoooy...or don't totes your choice :) But do! :) I dare ya!

Celebrity Fashion Show for Acquired Brain Injury Ireland

2012-08-10T11:20:35.000Z

The Style of
DUBLIN
F a s h i o n S h o w

Supported by the Dublin Fashion Festival, IMAGE Magazine, and 37Dawson Street.

The Style of Dublin is one of the biggest celebrity events to hit Dublin; it is an exclusive charity fashion and entertainment show with Ireland’s most high profile celebrities.

Enjoy a high end fashion show with a host of celebrities taking to the catwalk. Look forward to exclusive performances from a number of music artists while rubbing shoulders with Irelands most loved celebrities, such as Paul McGrath, Brian Kennedy and the beautiful Emma Waldron.

Ladies, dress to impress and be in with the chance of being crowned the ‘Most Stylish lady’ of the Style of Dublin, winning a professional makeover and photoshoot.

There are a limited number of tickets so make sure you secure one as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

You can buy tickets here:
http://www.abiireland.ie/fundraising.html

Fashion Show details:

Title: The Style of Dublin
Doors: 7pm – Late
Date: Sunday 9th of September
Venue: 37Dawson Street
Tickets: €35.00 , VIP €50
Purchase from abiireland.ie ,

Celebrities Guests
MC
Brendan Courtney -Off the Rails

Singing
Brian Kennedy
Mickey Joe Harte
Don Mescall
Fauve Chapman

Modelling
Niall O’Farrell-Dragons Den
The Dublin House Wives’ –TV Show
Paul Byrne-Celebrity fitness instructor.
Emma Waldron- Model
Alison Canavan- Model
George McMahon- Fair City Actor
Dave O’Sullivan- Fair City Actor
Dave Duffy- Leo Dowling Fair City Actor
Nick Munier -Master Chef Presenter

Special Guest

Paul McGrath – Footballer (Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Ambassador)
More to be announced in the coming weeks.

About the Charity:

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland
This is a celebrity fundraiser to raise much needed funds for Acquired Brain Injury Ireland to further develop services for individuals with an acquired brain injury.
An Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) refers to injuries to the brain post birth that occurs with rapid-onset during a person’s life. An ABI can be caused by damage to the brain tissue following a traumatic injury – resulting from road traffic accidents, falls, assaults, sports injuries, or damage to the brain following stroke (through haemorrhage or aneurysm). Acquired Brain Ireland provides flexible and tailor-made services for each of our clients.

ABI Ireland enables people with acquired brain injury to live an independent life in the community, by providing and maintaining a supportive living environment.
100% of all funds raised will go to the development of services for clients with an acquired brain injury.

*Secure tickets early as possible to avoid disappointment as we only have a limited number*

Click link for tickets -> http://www.abiireland.ie/fundraising.html

Win a month's supply of Vita Coco

2012-08-04T12:49:00.000Z

To celebrate the August Bank Holiday weekend emmawaldron.com has teamed up with Vita Coco to give you the chance to win One Month’s Supply of Vita Coco.

Vita Coco is the drink that has everyone talking. The drink is loved by Jay-Z, Madonna, Rihanna, Sienna Miller, Halle Berry and many more! In fact, some of them loved the product so much they invested in it!

It is the product of the summer consisting of fresh coconut water topped with a number of delicious flavours. My favourite is the Peach and Mango flavour. What I love most about the drink is that it is full of naturally occurring potassium and essential electrolytes as well as being free from preservatives, colourings, flavourings and never made from concentrate. It’s a great drink for lunch-boxes for the little ones, as well as a must-have hydrater at this year’s festivals.

To be in with a chance of winning a month’s free supply all you have to do is :
1. Share this post tagging @VitaCocoIE and @EmmaBWaldron on Twitter
2. Answer the following question in the comment box below: ‘What do you love most about Vita Coco?’

The winner will be announced on Wednesday 8th of August!

Ciaté Velvet Nails

2012-07-26T13:02:00.000Z

Ciaté's latest nail sensation is the Velvet Manicure which has been released for Fall 2012. I'm not so sure if I'm a fan of this style but here is the low down. Oh, and of course, I've included a DIY version for anyone who wants to give it a go.

The kits come in three different shades: berry, deep blue and gray. The kit includes a polish, the crushed velvet powder and a mini brush, as well as an extra tray that is meant for you to use to collect the excess powder that falls off when applying it to your nails.

Now in case you haven't seen this trend before, in the same manner as a caviar manicure, you paint on one coat of your base colour on all your nails and let it dry. Then, one nail at a time, you paint on a second coat of the base colour, then quickly try to sprinkle the powder over the whole nail. Top coat would change the effect, so it is not recommended to add one for this style. You will get a day or 2 wear only out of each application.

You can do this method yourself with flocking powder which you find at craft shops such as Inspiring Ideas in Blanchardstown.

Here is how this works:

1. Base coat - this is just always a good idea because it prepares your nail and protects it as well.

2. One coat of colour - (try use a colour close to the flocking powder you chose) apply it to all fingernails and work quickly.

3. Another coat of colour - as soon as you're done with the first coat, go back to the first finger and apply a second coat of colour. Don't make it a goopy gross coat but don't worry about it being a little thick. You're going to do the next steps to each nail, one at a time.

4. One coat of flocking powder - it's actually better to just dump flocking powder on your finger nail from the wide open side of the flocking powder container Apply the flocking powder over a bowl or you'll get it everywhere!!!

5. Pressure - when your nail is totally covered in flocking powder, use a finger tip to firmly press the powder into the wet nail polish. As long as you are pressing straight down and not side to side, you shouldn't really worry a lot about smudges.

6. Another coat of flocking powder - knock off the excess flocking powder from your first coat, then blow on your finger nail to get rid of anything else that's loose. Then dump another coat and repeat the pressure step. Knock off THAT excess and then blow on your nail again.

Repeat until each nail is done.

Then it's going to take about 20 minutes for your nails to be really truly actually factually dry.The two coats of flocking powder and the pressure combine to really securely fix the flocking powder in the nail polish base. There's not any noticeable shedding. You will see tip and edge wear, but the fibers are so small you probably won't see them at all.

Out of both these methods I would choose Flocking powder over the Ciaté kit, the Ciaté powder is finer and doesn't really look that amazing on in my opinion. I feel if your going to do a certain look at least make it look right. Flocking powder wears better, it is slightly thicker and with my method it coats evenly over each nail. Also flocking powder comes in more colours and if you search the bargain bin you could snap up a few for only a few euro. The Ciaté kit comes in just 3 colours at the moment and retails ant nearly €20 (a bit pricey!)

Piece written by Grace Flood, founder of Cherry on Top.

10 things to check when looking for a new home.

2012-07-26T12:29:00.000Z

So I recently began looking at new apartments to rent in the city and I decided to write a list of things to look out for and to ask the landlord/agent. I had so many viewings in a short space of time that I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t missing out on any of the smaller details that would become big problems if I was living there. I also am an impulsive individual, I jump feet first into things and need a harness to hold me back from new and exciting ventures. This list was my harness! You might, like me, be bowled over by the interior design or the lighting and forget about the nitty gritty details.. It’s one thing strolling around an apartment but when it’s your home these are the things that I felt matter. I hope you find it helpful.

1. Check out the Neighbourhood.
Arrive at your viewing a little bit early and have a walk around the area. Check out what amenities there are nearby. Is it acccessible, is there a bus, train or tram nearby? Are there convenience stores close by in case you run out of milk? But more importantly what kind of people live in the surrounding area? Is it a rough area? Ask someone who is walking by if they live nearby and ask them what they think of the area. I was pretty set on getting an apartment in a particular area and I was very happy with the price and the interior. I casually asked a fast-food delivery man what the area was like and he told me that his car had be vandalised numerous times when he had gone into the complex to drop off food. It was a lucky escape. Can you imagine inviting your family/friends over to your new place and then when they go to leave their car has had their alloys stolen? Erm, no thanks!

2. Pesky Pets!
Ask the landlord what the pet policy is. Can I bring my puppy with me? Or if you’re not an animal person, find out if the people living on the same floor have pets. The last thing you want is a yappy dog living right next door.

I would also ask about the the other kind of pesky pets of the rat and mice variety. Has there ever been a problem with pests? Check online, there are often forums where people discuss these kinds of things so why not put the name of the apartment building into your search engine and see what other people have to say.

3. Golden Showers!
Now I don’t expect a gold plated shower in my apartment but I do expect one that isn’t 20 years old. Did you hear that Mr. Landlord. You would not believe the number of people I’ve spoken to who said they loved everything about the apartment but they didn’t go for it because the shower was bad. If the shower is bad but you love the apartment ask the landlord if he will replace it.

What to look for in a shower? Check if the shower is electric or not. If it is, fantastic! If not, check whether it is an in-unit water heater or if it is shared by multiple apartments. The last thing you want is to hop into your shower before work and for there to be no warm water. If you have an in-unit water heater make sure there is an immersion. This means you can set the time you want your water to come on. It works out cheaper than the electric shower but for me I don’t want to be tied to a specific time scheudle. It takes about 30 minutes to heat up and I’ll often be popping home to get showered and head out again. For people on-the-go electric is the only way.

3. Pop it, lock it!
Nowadays security is important, we all have to be more vigilant locking our doors. For me I would want an apartment with it’s own alarm. Does the apartment block have special swipe cards or fobs to get in the main door or can anyone walk in? Is there a security person at the reception? Does the lift require a fob or key to work? Are there security cameras in the car park, at the front entrance and in the halls? Has there been any break-ins in the apartment block? What happens if there is a break-in? Is there someone you can call? Does insurance cover that? Is it up to you to buy insurance or is it inclusive in the cost of the apartment? Is there a number you can reach the security at if you have an issue? Maybe there is no security at all...

4. Here come the water works!
This might look and sound bizarre but check the water pressure in the bathrooms. Flush the toilets, turn on the shower, check the taps. Are there plumbing noises when the toilet is flushed or when the shower is on? If your roommate comes in at 3am and decides to shower will this wake you? Is there hot water in the taps? Is there a smell from the drains or are they clogged? Plumbing causes problems in so many apartments. Check for water damage. Look at the ceilings for stains. If there is a balcony check the carpet/wood near the door. I was at an apartment recently and the balcony door opened inwards and needless to say the carpet was absolutely ruined and the door frame was rotting. I live in Ireland so it rains pretty much 99% of the time (I’m exaggerating) so an inwards opening door is a no no.

5. Carbon Monoxide. The silent killer.
The carbon monoxide radio and television advertisement freak me out but they’re obviously affective because I now check the heaters/furnace for any rust or debris as this can indicate the presence of carbon monoxide. Check the house to see if there are any smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors or fire extinguishers.

6. Noise is a nuisance!
Is your apartment in a busy area? Is it backing onto or facing a busy road? When looking for an apartment it is important to find out if there are sources of noise pollution nearby.
Check what the traffic is like, or if it is near a train track. Will you be woken by car horns or drunken young people in the wee hours of the morning? Location is so important. Is there a busy bar down the road or have you noisy neighbours? Again ask a person who lives on the street or the agent.

7. Open and Close, Off and On
The first time I did this in an apartment I felt like I was a looney toon. I went into every room, I opened and closed the windows to check that they were working, or if it was up quite high that it was child-friendly and didn’t open the whole way. I opened and closet bathroom doors, wardrobe doors (ps is there lots of closet space?) patio doors, cupboard doors, fridges, showers, dishwashers, washing machines, you name it, I opened it. I also methodically turned on and off taps, showers, dishwashers, fans and heaters. Check the locks on the doors, do they work? Especially those leading outside. Yes, I am a landlords worst nightmare. But I would rather that than be signed into a lease and realise my windows don’t actually open and my landlord won’t do anything about it. Which reminds me of my next point..

8. A new LEASE of life!
It might sound obvious but check with the landlord/agent how long the lease is for the apartment. If you are tying yourself to that apartment for a whole year you will want to know this before you go signing any papers. That is why it is so important to be aware of what you are getting into and doing all the things that, while they might be a bit embarrassing, are essential when this will be your home for a year.

9. I’ve got the power!
Check for the placement of power outlets in the main rooms like the bedroom, sitting room and dining room. Sometimes apartments have plugs in stupid places. I mean really stupid places. You will have a wall that is perfect for a TV in a sitting room and will there be a plug in sight? Nope. It’s over the other side of the room in a little gap between the hall and the kitchen. Stupid. Do I want an extension lead going across my floor tripping everyone up? Well, initially for the laugh maybe because watching people fall is always funny, but no, no I don’t want an ugly extension lead in my sitting room. In the bedroom, it would be smart if there were plugs on either side of the beds for things like bedside lamps or phone chargers. But sometimes people aren’t smart and these common sense plugs aren’t so common. Also, if you were me you would bring your phone charger and check those plugs out. Do it.

10. So my rent is this much and my bills are how much????
I need ze wifi’s! You’re gas! She’s electric... Punough of that! Check out the added costs that will be incurred each month with these extras. What is the average additional monthly expense? Is wifi included in your rent? Is the cooker electric or gas? Is there an electric shower? These will all affect the amount!

Last little word of advice!
Go to see the apartment at different times during the day, late at night, in the evening and if you can on weekends. This will give you an idea of how it would be to live in the apartment. I would advise you never to take an apartment after the first viewing. Always go and see it twice because you will realise that the second time the novelty will have worn off a little bit and you will be more realistic. Happy House Hunting! :)

Tutorial: How to rock a red lip like Jolie & Gaga

2012-07-18T14:26:00.000Z

This blog is by Sheena O'Brien a professional makeup artist who has worked on London Fashion Week, with top labels here in Ireland: Marc Jacobs and Moschino to name but a few. She has worked with numerous publications Image Magazine, U Magazine, Stellar and Kiss Magazine , and has worked on many a famous face: Lily Allen, Christiana Aguilera and every Irish model you can think of! Now Sheena is beginning a new venture here on emmawaldron.com as our very own Make-up Expert who will teach us the various tips,tricks and trends to make sure we are always on trend. We are looking forward to hearing what you would like us to do next! So leave your ideas in the comment box below!

Love Emma x

To start with I spent time prepping Emma's skin. First, moisturise the skin. I used La Roche Posay and massaged it into the skin concentrating on any dry areas. Then, apply a layer of M.A.C. Prep And Prime Enhancing Primer in neutralize to the T-Zone to help grab the foundation and help to lock it on.

I applied a foundation from M.A.C. called Pro longwear, a lightweight satin finish foundation with medium buildable coverage. I'm leaving the eye area free from product as I will apply some concealer after the foundation and I don’t want there to be too much product under the eye as it can look too ‘caked.’ Use a flat foundation to apply the foundation as this gives us a lot of precision and a good amount of product on the skin.

I use a lightweight, hydrating concealer such as M.A.C. moisture blend concealer around the eye. Using a shade lighter than the foundation will highlight and brighten the area. Wash the concealer across the eyelid, sweeping it up towards the brow using a loose fluffy brush. This gets rid of any natural discoloration on the eye and gives us a really nice base to work with later when we do eyeshadow.

To seal the foundation use a small powder brush to massage powder onto the skin. Take extra care in areas that tend to get oily such as the T-zone and across the cheeks.

The next step is to contour. Use a bronzer 2/3 shades darker than the natural skin colour. The bronzer needs to sit underneath the cheekbone, so sweep your bronzer from the tip of your ear, under your cheekbone towards the tip of your nose. I also sweep bronzer the forehead for a natural sun kissed look and finish off with a light sweep along your jawline.

The final steps for skin will be to sweep blusher across the apple of the cheek and a sweep of highlighter across the top of the cheekbone to really emphasis and show them off and give gorgeous supermodel skin.

Brows are a really important feature on the face so fill them in with a brow pencil in a colour that corresponds to her natural brow colour. Approach filling in your brows like join the dots- you have to work with what is there and makes the most of the brow’s natural shape and emphasize their good points. Lightly fill in the brow in short, feathery strokes having the front of the brow fullest and gradually tapering off to soft point.

The focus of this look on the eye is the liner. To get a clean sharp line use a gel eye-liner that is waterproof so stays in place and won't smudge or transfer.
The type of brush you use is really important, I like to use a soft, thin angle brush. To do liner on myself I find it easiest to hold a hand mirror and look upwards. Take your liner in sections and aim for the roots of the lashes stamp the liner across the width of your eye. To do the 'wing,' look straight on into a mirror with your eyes open and starting from the last lash extend your liner lifting it very slightly towards the middle of your eye, and then again towards your tear duct.

We are going to finish the look and compliment the liner by curling the lashes and giving them a heavy coating of mascara.

To finish a classic yet contemporary look like Lady Gaga, apply a beautiful red lip.
I'm using a lip liner in Brick from M.A.C.-a classic blue red that suits most skin tones.

Apply the pencil in smooth even strokes to the lip the colour in the lip lightly with the pencil to enhance the satying power of your lipstick.

Finish off with a gorgeous red lipstick- M.A.C. Ruby Woo to a perfect finish to a classic Lady Gaga, Angelina Jolie hot red lip!

Make-up by Sheena O'Brien @sheenamakendo

Photographs by Evan Doherty @thisisevan

Clarins Launches Ombre Minerale Autumn Collection 2012

2012-07-13T17:10:00.000Z

Clarins has launched a new range of products in their Ombre Minérale collection for this Autumn and I am very excited to share them with you. The range is all about beautiful lumious radiant skin with a stunning mineral foundation and a face and blush powder compact to die for.

The Skin Illusions Loose Powder Foundation

The Skin Illusions Loose Powder Foundation works as three products in one: a highlighter, foundation and powder. The container has a concealed brush which doubles up as a handle. The brush hairs are soft and tightly packed which allows for an even application of the product. The product is best applied using the brush to massage the skin in an upward circular motion so as to avoid pulling the skin downwards. If you like a more full coverage simply apply more product to the brush. The makeup is not visible on the skin, in that it is not obvious that you are wearing makeup. It is light and never appears ‘caked’ onto the skin. It has a beautiful scent, a light texture, great coverage and is easily applied. It also contain an SPF 15 which is always something to look for in a foundation.

The Colour Accents Face and Blush powder € 37.00

The Colour Accents Face and Blush powder is absolutely stunning. I love the range of colours and the deep browns used. Often compact bronzer/blusher products have a light brown but not the darker shade. The Colour Accents compact contains 4 different colours, pink, peach, light brown and dark brown. These can be blended together for a bright finish or used individually. The pink is really beautiful and can be used along the cheekbones to accentuate and intensify.
Again this smells delicious! If only they were edible!

Ombre Minerale Eye Shadow collection €18.50
Clarins have released 16 new colours for their Ombre Minerale Eye Shadow collection. The colours range from the night time intense dark shades to the lighter everyday nudes and peaches. These can be used both wet and dry for a matte or satin finish. The shadows all contain a light reflecting shimmer. They are divided into four different groups.

The Naturals
As implied by the name of this catergory these five shadows are for every day light look makeup. 02 Nude, 03 Petal, 04 Golden Rose, 05 Lingerie, 06 Tea Rose.
These can be used with darker shades to create a nighttime look.

The Basics
These would be your mid-tone shades. These can be used to intensify the day time look without being too dark or heavy. They should be applied to either the socket or the lid of the eye. The colours are 07 Auburn, 08 Taupe, 09 Lavender, 10 Slate Blue, 11 Silver Green.

Intense Colours
These are the shadows you would use to create a smokey-eye look. There are five intensely pigmented shades which instantly provide a deep rich colour to your eyes. These can be swept across the eye lid or used in the outter corner of your eye in the socket to intensify a look for a night on the tiles. You can build up the colour by applying more of the product. To avoid the product dropping on your cheeks pat the product into the eye using the brush. The colours are 12 Aubergine, 13 Dark Chocolate, 14 Platinum, 15 Sparkle Black, 16 Vibrant Violet.

Illuminator
This is a highlighter which is used along the brow bone and inner corner of the eye. 01 White Sparkle Illuminator. This is a must have in any makeup kit.

It is nice to see that Clarins are being daring with their makeup products. The Vibrant Violent went down a treat amoungst the younger crowd as did their new Intense Plum Instant Definitely Mascara.

Intense Plum Instant Definition Mascara €25.42
This wand is an absolute dream. It contains two different sections. 1 is for volume intensity and 2 is for precision definition. The product is also dual purpose, with an ultra-volume and intense colour formula. The product contains Brown and Red Algae which helps to restructure, reinforce and protect your lashes. I love this product.

3-Dot Liquid Eye-Liner €24.00
The must have product from this collection is the 3-Dot Liquid Eye-Liner. The innovative design makes it easy for everyone to apply liquid liner. People often shy away from using a liquid liner opting for the Khol because of previous bad experiences. The triple point design makes it ultra-easy for you as it fills in the spaces between each lash ‘dot by dot’ which gives the illusion of a fuller looking lash line.

The Crayon Khol €15.00

The Khol’s design is inspired by Japenese Hair Sticks. It has a soft,easy-glide tip. It has an intense rich colour and is long lasting.

The True Hold Colour and Shine Lipstick €20.33

The True Hold Colour and Shine Lipstick has uses High Fidelity Pearl technology to ensure that the colour and shines stays in place for hours. The polymer is made up of transparent molecules which resemble pearls and trap the colour pigment. It has a rich creamy texture and applys easily. It includes lip care moisturisers and protectors. There are 4 new shades: 132 Spiced Orange, 133 Fig, 134 Orchid Pink, 135 Dark Cherry.

The collection will be in shops in September!

Enjoy!

Emma
xoxo

Rihanna Nude Nails

2012-07-10T16:48:00.000Z

One of my big obsessions right now is nails! I am always trying to find something new and exciting! I came across a girl called Aoife who is the creator of www.thealphanail.com or @thealphanail for all you tweeters :) So I decided for this look I would go for the nude nail - which we've seen on celebrities like:

Eva Mendes:

Rihanna:

Kim Kardashian:

To jazz it up a little bit so one nail has a bronze glitter and threee diamonté on it, just to be a bit different! Everyone needs a bit of sparkle in their life! :)

Tell me what you think :) ps HOW CUTE is my Thomas Sabo Froggy Ring?!? I love it! PPS. I Love these hats for winter time which is what it feels like right now in Ireland!

These nails are done by my friend Oana Nails who is absolutely amazing! If you'd like her to do yours contact her here!

Let me know what you guys think below :)

Get that look!

2012-07-10T10:42:00.000Z

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I thought I would share my look for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby last Saturday. It is really simple so I hope you can recreate it easily enough.

For my hair I wanted it to have a bit of a bounce rather than a curl so I used the Sleep-In Rollers. If you know me, you know I’m a bit clueless when it comes to certain products and the best way to use them. So I figured what better way to help people than by taking them on the journey with you. So you’re tips and tricks help me so much too! Thank you for these. I’ve finally learned to use them now so they are working really well! I discovered that if you use moose and the roll the rollers right up to the top of your head, that’s when you get the best results. Unlike heated rollers, these Sleep-In Rollers are more for volume than defined curls. SOOOoOOOo, that’s how I did my hair! Here's the original video I did for Sleep-In Rollers.

My makeup was a matter of concealing the pale and pain-filled face that I had due to the WORST, most agonising pain from the worst tooth ache known to man. And people say I’m dramatic. Honestly, if you’d seen me that day I was like a different person, I was like the shell of the person that people know and love. Just kidding. But seriously, I was a mess. So in order to look some way decent I had to apply layers of MAC Studio Fix. The wonderful ‘I will cover absolutely everything’ foundation. Can we have a minute of silence in it’s name?

For my eyes I used brown and peach tones to create a natural day time look. I will be uploading makeup tutorials soon so you can create some of my favourite looks yourself! You heard it here first peoples! :P

My dress was the miracle of the whole day. I was in so much pain that I only got my dress at 1.10pm on Saturday just 20 minutes before I was to meet the rest of my friends. Thank God I stumbled upon this beautiful Roberto Cavalli dress in a hidden gem of a shop called Couture Boutique in Powerscourt Centre. This faux-wrap style dress is perfect for creating the illusion of curves in all the right places and for disguising lumps and bumps- particularly of the stomach variety! The best thing about this little boutique is that you can rent or buy dresses there! So you can look amazing for the night and not have to pay for it for the rest of your life! Cha-CHING!

My next most favouritest part of this outfit was the b.e.a.utiful knecklace from Boodles. It is a beautiful paraiba tourmaline drop pendant with diamond set details scattered beautifully above it.

The bag is from Crystals and Co. I got so many compliments for it! It has crystals scattered over the soft black satin cloth which covers the hard exterior. The ring-style handle is embellished with skulls and gems. It is a staple piece that can be worn with any outfit. You can purchase it here.

Here’s an interview I did for Kildare TV :) Enjoy!

Destiny's Child Back Together Autumn 2012

2012-07-09T17:42:03.000Z

Destiny’s Child are going to release new unheard music this Autumn according to former manager Matthew Knowles.

Nothing has been confirmed yet from Beyonce, Michelle or Kelly’s camp but Knowles has said that his music management company Music World will release some old material for Destiny’s Child’s eager fans.

Knowles told Huffington Post that ‘In Novemeber, [they’re] putting out two Destiny’s Child catalog records with new material... It’s all release material with some previously unreleased material.’

However, there are no plans as of yet for a reunion tour saying that ‘the ladies are still working happily in their solo careers.’

The band’s las t studio album Destiny Fulfilled was a triple-platinum record that was released in 2004 and the group finally split in 2006. The girls have been flying high in recent years. Kelly Rowland has broken the ‘Ice’ with hard hitting dance tunes, her latest single ‘Ice’ featuring Lil Wayne is sure to be a club classic. Michelle is set to release her third Gospel Album and Beyonce is enjoying motherhood.

Knowles might not be the most reliable source, however, as Beyonce fired her father in March 2011 for stealing money from her 2011 world tour, according to TMZ. Would you like to see a reunion tour? I know I would.

Fun day at the office!

2012-07-06T17:05:46.000Z

How cute is this photo of Sheena and myself from today's shoot with Evan Doherty! It was SUCH a fun day! I'm pretty sure I messed up half of the pictures from making stupid laughing faces! I'm dying to see the finished product! For now this will have to do! :) Have a lovely weekend! :)

Emma

xox

RoC Purif-AC Review

2012-07-04T11:50:00.000Z

Adult acne sucks. In fact, all acne sucks. Spots in general suck. The big ooey, gooey, whitehead variety or those big bad red boys just scream sexy...not. We’ve all had them we’ve all been there, or still are there for some of us...

I was having a bit of an Emma-Dilemma recently. I’ve gotten a lot better at taking care of my skin, you know the whole three-step cleanse, tone and moisturise business, but I noticed that when I moisturised I often got more spots. Which kind of defeats the whole purpose of moisturising in my opinion - to have nicer, glowier, dewier, younger-looking skin. Now, when I say younger I didn’t mean pubescent teenage spot stage, but rather the 16 year old Chanel modelesque 'soft as a baby's bottom' type of skin. Needless to say, I was not impressed. Thus insued the ‘Should I even bother’ mindset therein my Emma-Dilemma. 'To moisturise or not moisturise?' that is the question. Talk about First World problems right?

Well, I am delighted to inform you that I have discovered the answer to my problem, which I stumbled upon in a local pharmacy bargain bin (I love those things!) My Mom often says how wonderful she finds RoC products so when I saw these bad boys and I saw the big reduced sign I could not resist. I am a girl after all, anything with a sale sign on it is appealing even if it serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever I will buy it. It’s genetics. Ask Einstein.

So I ended up purchasing three products, two specifically for 'not always great' skin: Purif-AC Blemish Correcting Emulsion and Purif-AC Fast Action Gel, as well as a Perfecting Toner just for the heck of it! I would just like to add here how much nicer these sound in French. The first one above sounds like the name for a laser! ‘What’s in the big silver gun sir?’ says the scared young girl strapped to the leather chair. ‘Oh that’s just super power Blemish Correcting Emulsion. MOWHOHAHAHA,’ laughed the crazy scientist. ‘NOOOOOOO not the Blemish Correcting Emulsion,’ cried the girl. Anyway, you get the idea. Those are the names of the creams. Yadda Yadda Yadda!

SO! How did I find them? Well first I'll talk about the Blemish Correcting Emulsion. I absolutely love the smell and texture of this cream. It aims to reduce spots and blackheads, as do numerous creams on the market, but unlike others, it works really well. It works by targeting and reducing the production of sebum which is an oily fatty substance that is produced by glands in our faces. The amount of sebum released increases during puberty or pregnancy because of high levels of androgens. Sebum levels also increase when females are on their period. Sorry, I know some people hate the word period. Ok, fine, when women are menstruating. Period.

Not only does it reduce sebum secretion but it also has a cleansing element which helps to regulate bacterial production. DIE BACTERIA DIE!

I also have skin that marks very easily. I might get a spot and it will go and I’ll be left with a red mark for a few months where that spot was, particularly on my forehead and chin. This cream has reduced the visibility of marks already and I’ve only been using it just over a week. #winning

The Fast Action Gel is great for reducing the appearance of spots virtually overnight. Just pop a dot of it on the spot before you go to bed and in the morning it won’t be as ‘angry’ or large as it was the night before. Again, if you’ve got skin that marks easily this is a good product. I like it, let me know what you think of it in the comment box below, or if you’ve other great products I should try. I’m always looking for new tips and tricks!

The Perfecting Toner is in a really pretty container which I was instantly drawn to, it was probably the only reason I bought it to be honest because I didn’t need a toner! But I’m glad I did. It’s not harsh on the skin and doesn’t sting or leave my eyes red, which other toners sometimes do. It has a beautiful scent and leaves your skin feeling slightly tingly which always makes me feel like my skin has been well cleaned. I like that when you dispense it onto a cotton pad you don’t loose half the bottle down the drain, the liquid comes out nice and slowly.

Here's a random photo of me on the beach! I love the beach!

All in all a successful trip to the Pharmacy I have to say! I went in to get pain relief from a tooth ache and came out solving my skin problem. RoC you ROCK!

Munchin' Monday Beef, Pak Choi Noodles

2012-07-02T22:13:00.000Z

Welcome to the Munchin’ Monday’s debut post! Apologies it’s so late but I’ve been to the dentist and I’m only recovering from it now! Myself and dentists don’t get on so well. I’m not so fond of pain and unfortunately they are known for causing it, therein our problem. Despite my pain over the weekend I still managed to cook something nice to share with you all (how selfless of me!) As you will soon come to realise nothing will stop me eating! Yes, I’m a model who likes her food. Who’d have thunk it?! Maybe I need to reconsider my life choices...! How and ever it seems to work!

Anyhew enough of my babbling! I shall share with you my delicious Asian Inspired dinner I prepared for my man-friend which left our tastebuds tingling! Now just a warning beforehand we like things SPICY - we’re talking food here people don’t be getting any ideas! - so I will suggest where you can adapt the recipe for the more faint hearted!

This is an adapted version of Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food recipe for Beef with Pak Choi and mushroom Noodles.

Sirloin Beef, Wild Mushroom and Pak Choi Noodles.

Ingredients
200g Sirloin Beef
200g Rice/Singapore Noodles
Thumb size portion of Ginger
2 teaspoons of Ground Cumin
1 red onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 scotch bonnet peppers (you can use 1 regular chilli if you don’t like spicy food!)
Soy Sauce
200mls chicken stock (yes chicken stock in a beef recipe! Odd, I know! My thoughts exactly!)
1 Pak Choi
1 punnet or handful of shiitake (which are expensive) or wild mushrooms (which aren’t as expensive and are just as nice)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Got all of that?! Right the rest is simple! This is such a quick recipe. The following step is what is the most time consuming. Slice and dice all the usual bits and bobs: Onions, garlic, scotch bonnet peppers, wild mushrooms and ginger (peel using a knife and chop into small cubes.)

Now, put that to one side and open your beef. If you have bought the pre-sliced packet well done you, you’ve just saved yourself some beef slicing action and some time to boot. YIPPEE! If you haven’t, get chopping that sirloin into baby finger length slices, yes that's a valid measurement. Don’t be worried about how it looks, if one’s a bit ugly just lash it in there, it’ll make the other ones look all the more delicious! Next, to mix the spices into the beef you can get a Ziplock bag (which is great for recipes that require you to leave meat to soak up the spices for a few hours,) or a bowl. Add some Olive Oil and Ground Cumin to the meat and make sure it’s well distributed. Leave it aside for a few minutes and pop on a kettle of hot water for your noodles and Pak Choi.

Take one Pak Choi and wash the leaves. Slice the Pak Choi in half down the middle and then in half again so that you have four pieces. Here's one I made earlier :)

Add the boiling water from the kettle to a pot and when it has come back to the boil again pop the noodles and pak choi in. I used the straight-to-wok noodles so they didn’t need much cooking just about 5 minutes in total. Read the individual packets for directions.

Add oil to a deep frying pan or wok on a high heat. When it is very hot add the beef and your chopped goody-ness (onions, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and scotch bonnet pepper.) While that is frying, add 150mls of water from the kettle to your chicken stock and 50mls of water from the noodle/Pak Choi water to it. Stir the stock cube to make sure that it has all dissolved. There's nothing worse than a mouthful of stock cubes *shudders*

Add a good bit of Soy Sauce to the frying food and mix until it has a nice brown colour. Then, add the chicken stock. If you require more salt add some, but you will get a nice salty taste from the Soy Sauce. Add some black pepper to taste.

Drain the noodles and Pak Choi and add them to the broth. Leave them for a minute without mixing them and then serve. You don’t have to add the noodles to the pot, you can add them to the bowls directly if you wish.

Use nice deep bowls to serve your food. Add lots of the broth too, it’s delicious! It might look a bit odd if you’re not used to Asian food but it’s uber tasty. Serve the noodles on top! Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the end product because it smelled so good it was demolished almost immediately! Hopefully you can picture it yourselves :) Let me know if you try it and what worked well for you!

Enjoy!!

Emma

xox

Ps. Don't be shy! Tweet and Share the link if you like it :) x

Emma on the cover of Xclusive Magazine

2012-06-26T16:53:00.000Z

I'm absolutely delighted to share this month's Xclusive Magazine cover with you! I hope you like the pictures! :) The magazine can be bought online here or in Easons or any African Shop in Ireland. It is also on sale in Nigeria from vendors in Asaba, Warri and Sapele.

Emma x

My New Shoot!

2012-06-25T15:33:30.000Z

Here's a shoot that was recently published in The Irish Sun! I hope you like it! It was an impromptu shoot that myself and the 'Dream Team' decided to do based on the 1960's theme.

The clothes are all choosen and the shoot was styled entirely by Danielle Fitzgerald. Danielle began working in the fashion industry at the age of 17 and has worked with the best models and publications in Ireland. We first worked together two years ago, and if I remember correctly I was the first model that she styled for a shoot with Lili Forberg. Her attention to detail and her vision is unparalleled as is her bubbly personality.

The makeup was the vision and work of Sheena O'Brien who is a freelance makeup artist in Dublin. She has recently opened up her own boutique makeup room where you can sit and sip some bubbly while the 'Dream Team' will take care of your hair and makeup before a night out, wedding or event!

I love the theatrical aspect of this shoot with the candy stripe colours and the thick liner. One of my favourite types of shoots are those that allow you to become a new character, it is similar to the art of acting in that your personality changes to suit the clothes or the makeup of a particualr shoot. Just as you put on a particular pair of shoes to suit the look so too do you put on a certain persona in order to create the impression of a certain character or particular era.

I hope you enjoy the pictures! Let me know what you think below! :)

Emma

HTC One S Review

2012-06-25T12:28:00.000Z

The HTC One S is one of the first phones with Android 4.0 Icecream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4. It has a dual core processor, dual core means that the phone has two processors that work simultaneously to carry out the various instructions you request of it. The phone moves smoothly and quickly between apps and doesn’t lag. It has a very quick start up which I like as there is nothing worse than turning on your phone and having to wait for five minutes before you can use it!

The phone comes with 16G of memory and 1GB of RAM, but there is no capacity to expand this as there is no memory card slot. However, this is not a problem as the phone comes with the online storage application Dropbox and files can be uploaded and accessed easily through that app.

The phone has 7 customisable home screens which can be filled with a variety of widgets and app shortcuts.

The browser supports HTML and Adobe Flash which allows you to watch your favourite videos and tv programs on your HTC One S. This is one thing that really bugs me about Apple products!

There are a variety of security features with the HTC One S. The new face detection security phone unlocking system needs a bit of tweaking. The idea is great but in reality it is not as efficient as it could be. The phone can be unlocked using a picture of the person’s face and also fails to unlock if you wear different makeup. However, this can be backed up with a pattern unlock feature which is really cool!

The phones boasts a micro arc oxidation finish, it feels like a ceramic coating but it’s not it’s a treatment of the aircraft aluminion. The treatment makes the aluminium five times stronger than it was before treatment. So if you’re like me and often drop your phone constantly, this scratch-resistant body is perfect for you.

It’s a unibody design which is nice, in the hand it feels more structured and solid than other models. The only detachable part is the small top section where your micro-sim is inserted. It is HTC’s lightest and thinnest phones at just 7.95mm but it still feels solid in your hand. The One S comes in a two colours black and grey.

It comes with the incredible Beats Audio built in sound system which really makes listening to your music become a whole new experience. Other phones limit the sound range preventing the bass and high notes being heard so with the One S having built-in Beats Audio you get the sound that the artist originally intended.

One of the most exciting features of the HTC One S is the 8 megapixel camera. The camera is one of the most advanced of any smartphone on the market and makes you feel like a professional photographer. In fact, the advertising campaign features a photographer using the HTC One S on a photoshoot such is the quality of the camera.

Continuous Shooting allows you to capture up to 99 images and then choose the best one. The HTC One S allows you capture spontaneous moments and doesn’t leave you with a blurry image. It is easy to upload and share on your favourite social networks straight from the Gallery.

HTC Video Pic allows you captures images while you're shooting a 1080p HD Videos. Have a look at the image I captured below of my dog scratching the door handle! If you are at a concert you can continue recording your favourite moments and take a still image without having to stop or pause your recording, simply snap as you record!

The phone comes in with numerous filters which allows you to add beautiful effects to your photographs before you share them with the world!

Other great features are face and smile detection and geo-tagging. This camera is really enough to make you want this phone!

Your photographs and videos can be viewed with enviable clarity on the 4.3 inch qHD Super Amoled screen with a screen resolution of 540x960 which gives a 256ppi pixel density.

DNLA was originally designed by SONY in 2003 and is encorporated into the phone allowing quick and easy media sharing so you can print your pictures from your phone on your wireless printer or play videos from your phone on your TV.

The HTC One S has a battery of 35 hours, but unfortunately a common complaint across the board with smartphones is that with heavy use battery life is compromised. There are plenty of ways to charge your phone on the go take a look at some of the gadgets below!

Overall the HTC One S is an incredible phone. It has a top of the range 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, 16GB storage and 1 GB RAM. It has Beats Audio as standard, as well as boasting the new Icecream Sandwich 4.0 OS and HTC Sense 4. Not only is it one of the most durable phones on the market but on of the lightest and thinnest too at just 7.95 mm.

Leave your comments and questions below!

Emma

Harvard Boys? You want me to call you? Maybe...

2012-05-15T08:36:00.000Z

This video is not what we would expect from a bunch of buff Harvard Baseball players for many reasons. Firstly, they're miming and dancing in unison to a teeny bopper tune 'Call me maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen. Secondly, Havard sports players are inauspiciously linked with the terms 'elite' and 'snobs,' which makes this video all the more interesting! The boys dropped their hypermasculinity momentarily to engage in some synchronised steps for our enjoyment! They've even gone so far as to stop playing baseball and make Co-ordinated Car Dancing an Olypmic Sport! If it's good enough for the Harvard lads, it's good enough for us! London 2012 here they come!!

Enjoy!!

Emma

Hi, my name is Emma and I am a..

2012-05-14T22:43:00.000Z

I had a conversation with a friend recently about how we repsond to the question so often posed to us, 'So, what do you do?' This question, whilst common and simplistic as it may appear, often perplexes me. What do I do? What category do I fit into? What box should I tick?

I am one of the many people who rebels against the notion of conforming to one particular classification. By nature, we are given a number of talents and skills, which as children we utilise, but as we mature we tend to narrow our minds and hone in on one particular dimension. Perhaps this is due to the limited nature of our third level education system, or perhaps, this is a sociological phenomenon in which we conform to the boundaries we set ourselves; one can only fall under one category.

What is the socially acceptable response to the above question? If instead we reversed this notion of only having one 'job' and instead challenged ourselves to spend our lives trying to add as much to our list of categories as we possibly could, how colourful would our lives be?

Image a flower with one petal. For the rest of your life your goal is to try to add as many petals to that flower as you can. The flower symbolises you and each petal represents a different aspect of your character, a different dimension which you have discovered. Instead of becoming a victim of routine we would challenge ourselves to try something new and obtain new experiences, each time adding a new petal.

I feel we're multi-faceted by nature as humans and we confide ourselves to the boundaries that we impose on ourselves by categorizing ourselves.

Hello, my name is Emma. I am a student, a teacher, a writer, an artist, a violinist, a model, a photographer, a pianist, a singer, a lover of fashion, a business woman, an internet junkie, a reader, a speaker, a tennis player, a poet, a foodie, a cook, a romantic, a child, a daughter, a girlfriend, a sister, a free spirit....

'Man was born free and everywhere he is in chains.' Rousseau

BRITNEY IS AN X-FACTOR JUDGE!

2012-05-14T21:22:00.000Z

It's official Britney Spears (and Demi Lovato) have officially been announced as judges on this years US X-Factor!!

After many rumours pre-empting the decision, Simon Cowell has finally confirmed tweeting:

"Can't believe it's finally happened. Very exciting!"

FOX made the announcements just moments before Cowell tweeted this picture of the fierce foursome!

Britney's conservators- fiance Jason Trawick and father Jamie Spears- are said to have signed off on the

$15 million dollar deal on her behalf. Britney and Demi are replacing former judges Paula Abdul and

Nicole Scherzinger on the hit TV show which premiers later this year.

What do you think of the new judges? Will they boost the ratings or will Cowell have to pull another trick out of his sleeve?

Love

Emma

I'm sorry Oprah!

2012-05-14T20:42:00.000Z

Hey guys! My little brother showed me the funniest video on youtube tonight! I had to share it with you all because I thought it was so funny!! Now, it's not witty funny, intelligently amusing or in any way intellectually challenging, but all the same it made me giggle! Leave your comments about the video below! Apologies to all other Oprah fans in advance! :) Ps. STICK WITH IT! Don't switch after 2 seconds like I was tempted to...believe me it gets better!!

Free yourself from fear.

2012-05-11T10:44:00.000Z

I recently started reading the writings of Parker Palmer, an American author and educator. He has some really interesting teachings not just about children in school but about human development in general. I find myself wanting to share little framents often so I have decided to do so and to introduce him to you to. Readers meet Parker Palmer, Parker Palmer meet my EW.com readers....Now shake hands...read on...and enjoy!!

Love

Emma x

Let me provide you with a bit of context for this one. Here he is trying to explain why oftentimes we loose our zest in our jobs, we loose our identity, our integrity and our drive.

'Fear, not ignorance, is the enemy of learning, and it is fear that gives ignorance its power. Indeed, fear is the counterpoint of every great and good human virtue: fear, not doubt, is the counterpoint of faith; fear, not hate is the counterpoint of love; fear, not greed, is the counterpoint of generosity; fear, not betrayal, is the counterpoint of trust. It is fear that deforms our lives; it is fear that saps all the great virtues of their power to reform our lives.'

Chris Brown disses Rihanna!

2012-05-10T15:04:00.000Z

And so the Chris Brown-vs-Rihanna drama continues. After shocking the world with a duel collabortation on songs ‘Turn up the music’ and ‘Birthday Cake’ - which went to No.1 on C Breezy’s Birthday- things between Rihanna and Chris Brown have gone from pretty to ugly rather quickly...

Chris Brown disses his ex Rihanna when he threw down a verse on Kanye West’s ‘Way Too Cold’ -formerly Theraflu- in which he appeared to diss Riri.

‘Don’t fuck with my old bitches,

like a bad fur,

every industry nigga done and had her,

treak or treat like a pumpkin,

just to smash her.’

Rihanna responded to the lyrics with a subliminal pseudo-innocent Hello Kitty instagram that read ‘Take that thumb out of your ass.’

Chris Brown responded to her image with a nasty tweet saying...

Rihanna was obviously pretty annoyed at the content and insinuations of the tweet and UNFOLLOWED Chris Brown on Twitter! Shortly afterwards Chris Brown unfollowed Rihanna....

And so, the thick plottens...

Do you think he was wrong to say what he said? Or do you think Rihanna has a guilty mind? Afterall, he didn’t mention any names? Has Rihanna been passed like a dutchie around Hollywood? What’s your opinion?!

Emma

xox

Obama approves of Gay Marriage

2012-05-10T10:59:00.000Z

On 9th May 2012 President Barack Obama announced that he supports same-sex marriage. In an interview which has made history Obama states ‘I have been going through an evolution on this issue’. Obama has come to the conclusion that "me, personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married."

Having already relinquished ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ in the defence forces, Obama said that he had ‘hesitated on gay marriage because [he] thought that civil union was sufficiant.’ However, he said his views were evolving. Having worked alongside members of his staff in committed same-sex couples, having spoken with friends, family and neighbours and having thought about the ‘soldiers, airmen or marines fighting on [his] behalf who still feel constrained..because they are not able to commit themselves in marriage,’ Obama has decided to ‘personally affirm that same-sex couples should be able to get married.’

Having previously opposed such marriages Obama says that he believes in a ‘broader equality for the LGBT community.’

The family man drew on his experiences at home with his children saying that his two daughters, Malia and Sasha, have friends whose parents are in a same-sex couple. "It wouldn't dawn on them that somehow their friends' parents would be treated differently. It doesn't make sense to them and frankly, that's the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective."

It is a pivotal moment in the history of not only America but the entire world. It is a powerful message, everyone should enjoy equal rights.

Twitter errupted in the aftermath with stars expressing their support of the president. I have included a few of my favourite below. What’s your opinion on same-sex marriage? Do you think it should be legalised?

Piers Morgan ‏ @piersmorgan - "BREAKING NEWS: President Obama just endorsed gay marriage. One small step for him..one giant leap for mankind."

Ellen DeGeneres ‏ @TheEllenShow - "Thank you President @BarackObama for your beautiful and brave words. I'm overwhelmed."

Neil Patrick Harris @ActuallyNPH - "Bravo, Mr. President, and thank you."

Ricky Martin @ricky_martin - "I applaud President @barackobama for affirming that ALL Americans should enjoy equal rights. Historic! I will be a very proud host on Monday"

Justin Timberlake ‏ @jtimberlake - "@barackobama inspires me once again. True leadership is when you are willing to risk your power and voice so that ALL of ours can be heard."

Kim Kardashian @KimKardashian - "Thank you, President Obama! No more living in the past!"

Welcome to my WEBSITE :)

2012-05-03T20:13:00.000Z

Dear All,

First and foremost welcome to EmmaWaldron.com! I hope that my website will give you an insight into my world. It will contain entries about fashion, beauty products, tips and tricks, technology reviews, food and diet, celebrity gossip, video blogs, exclusive interviews and behind the scenes pictures before anyone else. Do comment on my entries and I will keep in touch!

For anyone looking to ask me any questions send your emails to emma@emmawaldron.com

If you would like to advertise or contact me with business queries related to EmmaWaldron.com contact info@emmawaldron.com

The site was developed and built entirely from scratch by the incredible Manners O. As it is a new site there may be a few glitches (so far so good!) but pretty soon we will celebrate their demise by throwing a massive party to officially launch EmmaWaldron.com with lots of glorious food and drinkies.

Click the subscribe button at the bottom of this page to gain VIP entry to the EmmaWaldron.com launch party as well as being the first to hear about give-aways and special entry to events!

If there is anything you would like to see on emmawaldron.com please post a comment below! :) Be sure to have your say in the comments below the various posts and photos :)

Lots of love,

Emma

*If you would like to contact Manners O about YOUR website visit www.gotomanners.com or on Twitter @gotomanners.

Partygirl.ie

2012-05-03T19:16:00.000Z

Partygirl.ie is Ireland’s first website that caters for everything girls need on a night in or out! They have plenty to oogle at from panties to Pinot Grigio, pilates to platters, salon treatments to secret dating services! If you’re looking for a venue, food, decorations or outfits for a party it’s your one-top shop!

So where did the idea come from? Creative director Izabela Chudzicka said that she wanted ‘An Irish business run by women for women.’ Not only is the business helping ladies with their party essentials, it’s also supporting our own indigenous businesses.

The site is the ultimate site for girls who want to feel good and have a good time! Partygirl.ie offers beauty treatments with Bespoke Beauty- the infamous salon featured on TV3’s Celebrity Salon- as well as offering free introductory classes at Body Rock weightloss bootcamps to ensure you’ve got that bikini body this Summer!

Where the site really comes into it’s own is in the Food and Drink section. This was no surprise to me, as when I met with the Creative Director to discuss the site her choice of wine was impeccable. The site is stocked with wines to cater for all budgets, the cheapest case of wine is Cl Lughetta Pinot Grigio, priced at 59e, and the most expensive is Louis Roederer Cristal at 675e. After all that boozing your guests are sure to be hungry! So why not order some of their fruit, salad, meat, cheese or sandwich platters that will be delivered straight to your door within 48hours.

Sounds like an idea, and with my 23rd birthday tomorrow and being as busy as I am right now, it’s starting to look like the best option! Maybe I’ll give the secretgirlfriend an email...!

Rebecca Maguire is Miss Ireland 2012

2012-05-02T14:50:07.000Z

Belfast Beauty Rebecca Maguire (Miss Wright Venue) has been crowned Miss Ireland 2012. Maire Hughes has been dethoroned and is no longer Miss Ireland 2012. The organisers discovered that Miss World contestants had to be between the ages of 17-25 years of age when at the Miss World Competition. Maire will turn 26 before she would leave for Mongolia and thus she is not eligible for the competition.

Rebecca Maguire, who placed 1st Runner-Up, for the second year in a row, has now been crowned Miss Ireland 2012. Rebecca says she is ‘shocked but absolutely delighted’ and said she ‘will represent Ireland to the best of her ability.’ The official crowning ceremony will take place on 12th May 2012 in The Wright Venue Penthouse and Suite.

Rebecca came under fire for comments she wrote on Facebook and Twitter saying that she was the ‘Jedward’ of Miss Ireland, asking ‘does anyone even remember who won [XFactor] that year?’ I hope that Rebecca will be able to recover from the events in the aftermath of Saturday’s competition. I am sure that it was difficult to accept 1st Runner Up for the second time in a row so I would like to wish Rebecca the best of luck for the rest of her year as Miss Ireland 2012. It is an incredible honour and I am sure she will do her best from here on out to represent Ireland well.

Love,

Emma

Jessica Simpson has a baby girl!

2012-05-01T20:08:44.000Z

Jessica Simpson and Fiancé Eric Johnson have welcome Baby Maxwell Drew Johnson into the world after what appeared to be Pop Culture’s longest pregnancy!

The singer released a statement on her website saying that ‘it is the greatest experience of our lives.’ The baby weighed a healthy 9lbs and 13 ounces on arrival and the couple are said to be thrilled.

The singer’s sister told People Magazine that she is in love! ‘Bronx and I are in love with Baby Maxwell already!’

Earlier in the week Celebrities tweeted their concerns for Jessica Simpson. Katy Perry tweeted ‘Has Jessica Simpson had that baby yet?! I’m getting anxious’ but has since congratulated the star on her new bundle of joy!

TMZ reported that Simpson’s baby suite costs a whopping $4,000 a day! That’s more than what Beyonce paid for hers! But this is no ordinary suite! The private pad has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Baby Maxwell baby was welcomed into the world in style!

Congratulations Jessica and Eric!

Emma

Miss Ireland Stripped of her Crown

2012-05-01T16:45:42.000Z

I am very saddened to learn that Maire Hughes Miss Ireland 2012 has been stripped of her crown. She was 25 years when winning her Miss Ireland title but will be 26 when in Mongolia for Miss World 2012. The requirements of the competition require the winner to be between the ages of 17-25 years.

Galway native Maire who was crowned Miss Mayo wowed the judges on Saturday night with her grace, elegance and humility.

It is rumoured that 1st Runner-Up Rebecca Maguire is now being crowned Miss Ireland 2012. Having judged the competition on Saturday I feel that the judges should have to reselect from the remaining six girls from the Top 7.

Maire is a stunning girl who has a bright future ahead of her.

Lots of love and best wishes x

How I started modeling

2012-05-01T15:43:00.000Z

I was spotted by Ireland's most successful photographer Lili Forberg in October 2009 in a nightclub called SPY Bar -now The Lost Society. She asked me to do a beauty shoot with her for U Magazine a few days after we met. I was so excited as this was my first shoot and I had no idea what to expect! Before this I had been modeling with Abercrombie and Fitch in Toronto but I had never done any work in Ireland. After this I signed with 1st Option Model Agency and began my work as a high fashion model. Here are some pictures of my first shoot!

I am now with Andrea Roche's Model Agency! It was definitely a life changing night for me! I now have a best friend in Lili and a career I could only have dreamed of... If you have any questions about modeling and which agency is best for you go to the ask emma/contact section on my website!

Emma xx

Khloe and Lamar Odom call it quits!

2012-04-30T15:55:16.000Z

Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom have decided to end their relationship...with reality tv! That means that this season’s ‘Khloe and Lamar’ which airs every Sunday on E! entertainment network, will be their last.

Khloe and Lamar Odom leaving their hotel in New York City today. Credit: Splash

TMZ are reporting that Lamar has decided that the reality show is a distraction from his game. Lamar recently fell on tough times having been traded from the LA Lakers to the Maverick’s in Dallas at the beginning of the season. His game hasn’t been the same since and the Mav’s have made him inactive on the team. The NBA sixth man of the year ais also a two-time NBA Champion, so no doubt he’ll be able to shake off this bad season. Just in case, he has hired personal trainers to help him out.

The Kardashian Klan are well-known for their over-the-top Kristmas Kards!

The Kardashian Klan won’t be too hurt by the cancellation having just signed a $40 million deal last week with E! Entertainment Network, the biggest cheque for any reality tv show yet!

Lamar Odom and wife Khloe Kardashian Odom

I don’t think it’s a bad thing, considering the stress a reality show must put on the young couple, who are just married over two years. One thing that no one can fault Khloe K for is having her priorities right!

Flower Power!

2012-04-25T23:57:00.000Z

What a nicer way to ring in the Summer Sun than with some bright, bold botanical bib and tucker. Last season’s colour blocking trend illustrated for us that there are no rules when it comes to fashion. It knocked the ‘don’t wear red and pink’ rule right out of the water and this seasons cap-a-pie flourishing florals are set to do the same. The SS12 collections of our favourite designers.

Despite all the blogs and magazine’s bombarding us with all things botanical, some of us are still hesitant when it comes to don these daring drapes. So instead of submerging ourselves from head-to-toe, let’s see how we can encorporate the latest trends into a wardrobe we’re more accustomed to.

Why not take any one of these items below and add it to your wardrobe? Most florals can be worn with black anything! So it's not too costly to be on trend!

Floral H&M Shorts

Floral Jeffery Campbell litas

Floral blazer, ASOS

Alice and Olivia Flared Floral Pants

Floral Pants from H&M

Floral Ray Bans

Floral high tops RIver Island

Floral Playsuit River Island

Lana Rose Crown from Nastygal.com
newWEB copy.jpg

Swarovski Crystal Necklace from Crystals&CO.

Floral Weekend bag from A|Wear

Loving A|Wear's floral print bags right now! :)

How some celebrities are pulling off Floral Print Pants!

Have fun experimenting with Florals this summer!

Love and bubbles,

Emma

Advice for Miss Ireland Contestants!

2012-04-24T17:01:00.000Z

I am often asked to give advice to young women who are entering into various Pagaents. Here is some advice that I think will help you for the Miss Ireland Final this weekend!

First and foremost, congratulations!! Secondly, you have nothing to be nervous about! Stop worrying!!!!!!!! Yes you, stop it!!! Miss Ireland is a really fun experience where you get the opportunity to make great friends. Every girl that enters the Pagaent will be in the same position as you. They will be nervous, they will want to win, they will be competitive; such is the nature of a competition like Miss Ireland. Remember though, that there is only one winner. For the rest, the experience is about having fun and gaining something positive from the experience- which you will being a part of a big production like Miss Ireland.

Kindness prevades.... It is very easy to spot a girl who is kind-hearted and caring. It is just as easy to spot someone who is intimidating or 'bitching' about other girls...Which do you think will win? Remember this when you are at the competition. Jealousy often brings out the worst in people, so instead of being envious of other peoples positive features, be mindful of your own. You have each won your local pagaent and have already achieved so much already.

One of the most attractive features in a woman is her personality. Humility, kindness and intelligence are all qualities that will get your far in life, and when combined with a good dose of determination and the willingness to work hard you are unstoppable. Miss Ireland allows you a platform- both the winner and the other contestants- to use your talents to your advantage, and the advantage of your community. The Pagaent doesn't stop, and shouldn't stop on Saturday night. The titles should be used to benefit the marginalised in society and to give back to the community that gave you the privilage of the title. It is such a wonderful opportunity for personal growth and development and I am sure I speak for every previous contestant when I say that.

It is important to remember that only one girl wins and for everyone else its that weekend that they take away as a memory forever so make the most of that! Be confident, don't be intimidated by the judges or the press. Just take a deep breath and knock 'em dead!

Good luck!

Behind the bully..

2012-04-23T16:30:00.000Z

Bullys often are just insecure people putting you down to make themselves feel better! :) IGNORE THEM! :) xx LOVE YOU!

'When we are insecure about our own identities, we create settings that deprive other people of their identities as a way of buttressing our own.' Parker Palmer

If you are being bullied and want to talk to someone there are so many great people you can speak to.. Why not try talking to someone.. you can email me emma@emmawaldron.com or talk to someone close to you about it. It happens a lot of children you are not the only one and while it is so tough right now it will stop, I promise. x You will look back on those times in your life and feel sorry for those people who bullied you because they were jealous of every wonderful thing that you are.

It's so important to talk to someone:

If you are a parent and your child is being bullied take a look here at some guidelines. x

Most importantly...

Miss Waldron :)

2012-04-15T16:23:00.000Z

For the month of March I was completing teaching practice, a module of my course (Bachelor of Education) that counts for almost a third of my final grade. I was teaching 31 4/5year old boys and girls in a local school. At the beginning of the four week period there is a tremendous workload which almost took away from the enjoyment of the experience, however as I settled in and began to get into a routine I was able to sit back and relax and experiment with my teaching style. Having previous taught 6th class the jump to the junior end of the school was quite daunting but after the first week passed I realised that it was a leap I was glad I took.

The joy of teaching infants is that they enjoy coming to school every morning. They look forward to seeing you coming to bring their line into the classroom and the delight in telling you their news about what happened after school the previous day. They will form a line at your desk showing you their new shoes, or the scab on their hand while recount every detail of how their injury occured - to which you ‘ooh and ahh’ appropriately- while you listen with one ear to that child, you try to make sure the 30 other children aren’t getting into scrapes with each other and are busy arranging themselves: putting their jackets on their hangers, getting their chairs and sitting waiting patiently for a day of learning to begin.

There are a lot of little minds, hearts and souls to look after in those few minutes and it is during that time in the morning when so much is going on, that I felt the pressure the most, to ensure that every child felt important, that while I want to make sure the child telling me the story feels that I am listening and that it is important, that I also made sure that the other children in the line get heard as well, that I was aware of everything else going on around me. Crowd control, it’s an important tool when teaching. I enjoyed that time of the day, the excitement, the ‘buzz’, the eagerness.

Another thing that I enjoyed was the laughter. Children have a way of making me laugh like no adult can. Perhaps it’s their innocence and their ignorance to their own humour. On the very last day I was teaching the children they hid cards and flowers all over the room for me to find- like an Easter Egg hunt for the teacher! In order for me to know when I was close to the cards the children were to tell me whether I was ‘hot’ or ‘cold.’ You can probably see where this is going! One child in particular when I was near a card would yell out ‘YOU’RE SO HOT!’ which made me laugh uncontrollably so I had to turn my back to the class and pretend I was looking at the back of the library for a hidden card!

Children are like sponges. They absorb absolutely everything. They are infinitely wise and wonderful. We took a Math’s Shape tour around the school where the children would identify shapes in their everyday environment. I was astonished by the children’s observations, they began to look at everything with new ‘maths’ eyes. When the children took out their lunches they called me over to show me their square sandwiches, their rectangular lunch boxes, their circular cheese pieces and their cone shaped juice cartons. The children were so excited to show me their discoveries, the ordinary was now extraordinary.

Before I began teaching the teacher who’s class I was taking over- Ms.Corr- showed me some videos she uses with her class. My favourite of which was ‘I’m Elmo and I know it’ a funny children’s parody to ‘I’m sexy and I know it’ which I got endless amusement using both inside and outside of the classroom!

I think sometimes as a nation we underestimate the value and role of teachers in our society. Unfortunately, we have all experienced the wrath of a bad teacher, and it is even more unfortunate that principals can do next to nothing to get rid of a bad teacher. However, it is important not to tar every teacher with the same brush. If you are to ask yourself to remember someone who made a huge influence on you growing up who would it be? If you had to name five people, I am pretty certain at least one would be a teacher. I was lucky to have a number of influential individuals in my life both inside and outside of school. But what about those children who don’t? What about those children whose only positive influence is those teachers in school who try to tap into their heads and their hearts, to foster their growth as humans and to teach them lifelong lessons as they know that no one else will. When you look back at these teachers you don’t remember always what they taught you in science or math but what they taught you about life by revealing who they were as individuals. Good teachers are remembered for who they are not what they taught. This has a much greater, longer lasting impression than any elaborate science experiment.

If we as a society keep playing down the role of teachers, reducing their pay, respect and importance what kind of people do you think will become teachers? If you run a successful business and you want the best people managing your company what do you do? You ensure you allow and encourage further education- as this in turn will develop and enhance your company- you pay them well so that they do not leave your company, you ensure that they have meaningful realistic attainable goals to achieve to keep them motivated, which when attained are rewarded, you provide them with the equipment they need in order to achieve the best results for your company. Remember that these children are the future CEOs, the future government, the future of our country period. Surely we want them to be as able as we possibly can? How do we ensure this..by providing them with good teachers and more teacher time= smaller class sizes.

There have been articles recently stating that Ireland isn’t achieving the results it should in Literacy and Maths. Most parents often say ‘I find it difficult to control my lot I don’t know how you manage to control 31 of them!’ controlling is not the issue, the issue is educating them, ensuring that each and every child has the best chance possible, now that is difficult when you have 31 children each working at their own pace. If class size were reduced this would not be as big an issue. Differentiation is expected in every class, but when there are children who are falling so far behind in things like literacy and maths there is only so much you can do when you have 30 other children to help. If we are looking at making our country stronger and better we need to be the best at what we do. we need to have the smartest scientists, the most innovative entrepreneurs, the most diligent engineers, the most ambitious software developers, the most creative artists and the most efficient and honest bankers. In order to be a successful country we need to invest money, not take money away from our future, our children. If you take away the minor supports that were added during the ‘celtic tiger’ years we will be left with a country that has lost sight of what is important. I think oftentimes, things are complicated to a point where officials lose sight of what is important. Blank page, title, what will make our country the best it can be. Answer:

Well this article started off as me telling you about my experience and turned into something TOTALLY different...but I’m just going to go with it...Click published, done. Night.

Interview for dropdeadgorjess.com

2012-04-15T16:20:00.000Z

So tell us what's your favourite beauty product that makes you drop dead gorjess?

I think every woman/girl needs a great moisturiser, you'll want your skin all your life not just when you're twenty and it;s so important to invest in a good one before the aging process starts to take place. I would say my favourite product right now for my skin is Roc Dermatologic Calmance, for my lips Vaseline Coco Butter, for my hands I use Clarins Hand Lotion and for my body Palmers Coco butter body! (I know that's four so it's kind of cheating the singular implication of 'product' in the question!!)

What's your Daily beauty regime?

I don't get this done every day, I leave out parts but this would be on a good day! I wake up in the morning and wash my face with cold water and Clean and Clear and then apply my ROC moisturiser. I then allow that sink in while I eat my breakfast rather than applying foundation straight on top which I feel defeats the purpose. Then before applying my makeup I use MAC Primer which has collagen in it which helps to smooth out any fine lines and helps the foundation to stay for longer on your skin. This is a great product for women who are leaving the house for work early in the morning and who don't get the chance to top up their makeup during the day. Apply your makeup as you would normally and then spray with MAC Fix + this hydrates the skin to give that glow you see on the catwalk! (I should really have shares in MAC the way I'm selling their stuff!!) With regards to my hair I am generally quite laid back about my hair and often tie it back of my face. If I do curl it I use the thicker babylon curling tong and some L'Oreal hairspray to keep it in place. Peter Mark sell a great starch stying spray in a pink bottle which is great for holding hair in place too! I am currently trying out Sleep Rollers so I'll let you know how I get on with those! At night time I use Makeup Forever's Pure Water cleansing and toning lotions. I then apply my moisturiser to my face and body and use Elizabeth Arden's 8 hour cream around my eyes and lips. I love a good spray of Victoria's Secret body spray too! If I have any breakouts I apply sudocream to the areas before sleeping!

How long does it take you to get ready for a night out/event? What would this include?

Oh I have it down to a fine art at this stage so about 40 mins-60mins tops! That would include showering, applying Karora Instant Tan, my makeup and changing and styling my hair.

Whats your Favourite Tan? Karora Dark Spray Tan is amazing! You can buy it in most pharmacies and salons!

Favourite brand of makeup? MAC :)

Favourite Perfume? Poeme by Lancome

Lip gloss or lips stick? Lipstick! It's all about the bold matt lips and lip stains this season so I'm all over MAC's incredible range of lip colours and Clarin's Rouge Lipstick!

3 things you will always find in your hand bag? My HTC Rhyme, my Mulberry purse and my love-heart shaped post-its!

Any tricks or tips you want to share that make you feel and look great? A good mascara is worth investing in, I would recommend Lancome Hypnosis or MAC Plush Lash. I also think a good perfume is great as it releases endorphins which make you happy!

When looking to make a statement, what are your fashion must-haves?

Jeffery Campbell Lita Black Spiked Boots!! These are my MUST HAVE shoes this and last season! In fact, forever! I would say for me my closet is complete this season if I have: Boy London Eagle Vest, Black Leather Jacket, American Apparel Black Disco Pants, JC Litas, Ray Bans of any shape form or colour, denim shorts, gold jewelry (Chains of love have amazing pieces) or Thomas Sabo for rings and chains and popping red lip!

What's your "secret" to gorgeous, healthy hair?

I massage coconut oil into my hair the night before I was it about once a month and I also invest in a good Kerastase Shampoo and Conditioner. However the main reason my hair looks good is because of my Great Lengths Ireland Hair extensions!

How would you describe your style? (clothes and makeup wise)

It changes frequently, I feel that right now I am exploring my style and figuring out my 'image' so for now...ROCK CHICK!

Who's your style icon? Rihanna, Rita Ora (Newbie but a goodie!) Nicole Richie, Angelina Jolie, Beyonce, Elin Kling is amazing too.

What advice would you give our Miss DropDeadGorjess.com Ciara Allen? Always strive to be the best you can be, search for inner happiness and stay humble.

What have you been up to since Miss World?

I have been modeling, finishing of my Bachelor of Education, establishing concepts and designs for www.emmawaldron.com, traveling to India with Healthy Kids Happy Kids, Hostessing in The Grafton Lounge and writing.

Who inspires you and why?

Strong women and honest people inspire me. The person changes on a daily basis, I am often looking for inspiration from people and often find myself engaging in deep conversations with relative strangers which often prove to have almost 'healing' outcomes. Have you ever spoken with someone so honestly and received such positive feedback that you feel yourself and who it is you are and your previous thoughts grow? Well I've been doing a lot of that with people lately and I'm inspired constantly. I recently had a great conversation with my friend Brian Spollen who is a fountain of knowledge and advice. You can learn a lot from the people around you if you just open your ears to their inspiration and are flexible enough to change your opinions but are strong enough to know who you are and what to be inspired by. The important thing is to surround yourself with positive people. Lie down with dogs and get up with fleas, but the opposite is also true.

How do you inspire young females?

Gosh, i don't know. I would like to think that I inspire them to feel positive about themselves, not only to accept but to love themselves. We live in a world where it is impossible to escape bullying and jealousy. Previously, children were able to escape nasty taunting received at school when they got home but now with Social Networking sites young people have so much more to cope with, it is difficult. I think parents and those who influence young people should try to equip them with the skills to cope with the psychological challenges which they are now faced with. We also live in a world that is very different from our parents and grandparents where we are not an homogenous Catholic hetrosexual nation, we live in a country of many colours, creeds and sexualities, where woman are no longer the traditional housewife and have careers as important as men and where the family is not always a two-parent white opposite-sex home. We as 'elders' or people 'of influence' need to show that through acceptance for everyone, and our differences. I hope that somehow by spreading this love for ourselves and others, I am influencing others to do the same.

How can younger girls become more confident in a world that focuses on looks and body?

Self-acceptance, a positive self-effacy and a good support structure be it friends or family. During Lent this year I went without makeup to show people how good lighting and photoshop is responsible for 99.9% of the images that young girls and boys are bombarded with everyday. I have spoken on Gráinne Seoige's Modern Life show about my own body image and the need for girls to realise that whatever way you are is how you are supposed to be. It is how God designed and made you and it is in his image and likeness you are made. It is important to be have an active lifestyle, to be involved in sports and outdoor activities there are so many different clubs available now-a-days that there is most certainly one for everyone's taste.

Whats your health and fitness regime?

I walk my dog Charlie almost everyday and I go to the gym as often as I can. Unfortunately because I'm in my final year a lot of my time is spent studying so my brain is much fitter than my body right now! :)

What do you do on your down time from modeling?

I love to go to the cinema, to draw, to write or to play my violin. I have recently started filming myself singing and playing piano too, I love music.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years?

I want www.emmawaldron.com to be the most successful blog/online store in Ireland, I want to design a clothing collection. I want to be presenting a day time TV show and to have modeled in NYC, Paris and London. I want to travel the world and learn how to cook in every country I visit. I want to have my own apartment in a city, perhaps Toronto, and to have a meaningful tattoo. I want to write for a magazine or newspaper. I want to raise more money and open more Education, Housing and Medical centres with the charity Healthy Kids Happy Kids in India and I want to be very very happy :)

Other then miss ireland - what has been your biggest achievement? Ask me in August when I'm graduating from college!!! :)

Have you over come any struggles to become a success young woman?

My parents wanted me to finish my degree and weren't very keen on the fact that I was entering Miss Ireland. We spoke a lot about it and after I won they were proud of my achievements and by the end of the year having seen me grow as a person they were glad I had taken that path despite their initial hesitations.

Tell use a little about yourself ?

There's a bio on my facebook: www.emmawaldron.com www.facebook.com/MissWorldEurope and if anyone wants to ask me anything they can tweet @emmabwaldron or www.emmawaldron.com/askme :) xxxxx

Shoe-be-do-be-Loubi

2012-04-15T16:08:00.000Z

Today marked an exciting day for women in Europe with the launch of Christian Louboutin’s European online store. The launch is perfectly timed to tie in with their 20th anniversary and Online Fashion Week. The coveted red soled shoes worn by every celebrity you can think of from Kim Kardashian to Beyonce, can finally be bought by the ordinary European Woman at www.christianlouboutin.com or can they?

The shoes start at 425e and with a Irish women earning 434e a week on average are these shoes really within our budget? The popularity and expense of Louboutins has caused a spin of knock-off’s to be created and marketed on cheaper online stores. Tara Haughton, an entrepreunerial young lady from Kildare, has created the perfect product to transform your ordinary shoes into look-a-like Loubi’s by designing a red sticker to attach to your soles. Now here is the real question, would you been seen rocking fake Loubi’s? Have we evolved past the stage where we care about a label? To a stage where we feel proud to boast about a bargain? Or do we still feel inclined to hide behind the horse?

Perhaps that’s not the issue. Maybe you feel that these exclusive brands should be protected and the exquisite designs and years of craftsmanship are worth paying thousands for? If that is the case rest assured, this is not an entirely selfish move. Louboutin has decided to donate money to the Starlight Children’s Foundation for every ‘like’ on their Facebook Page. So make sure if you are indulging to ‘like’ before you buy!

For the rest of us, we can live in hope!

Emma

Simone Rocha for West Coast Cooler

2012-04-15T15:52:00.000Z

Last week Simone Rocha and West Coast Cooler launched their newest collaboration of stylised floral designer bottles which were simply stunning. The bottles, inspired by her Spring/Summer 2012 collection were the perfect amount of pretty for the sweet tasting drink. I got the chance to talk with the internationally acclaimed designer who has taken the fashion world by storm at the young age of 25.

The shy young star peered at me with a lowered head from behind her ‘destressed’ tossled long dark locks. She appeared uncomfortable with the attention, which was endearing and unexpected from someone so talented, but in hindsight what 25 year old wouldn’t take time to adjust to that? Her delicate nature is represented in her fashion, the soft pastel colours and the delicate designs echo her personality, however, her own fashion seems quite the opposite to her designs. She wore a black on black head to toe ensemble, most notably a ridiculous-looking tutu-if you don’t mind me saying so. However, tutu’s aside, she spoke eloquantly saying that while her father was obviously a huge inspiration for her growing up seeing his work, she has a very different distinctive style. She would like to be taken seriously in her own right, for her own talents and not stand in the shadow of her father, nor be successful as a result of his success. She seems quite sure that she wants to achieve recognition based solely on her talents, which I applaud. I asked her if she found it difficult to have such huge fame at such a young age to which she responded politely ‘sometimes.’ She is definitely one to watch, and an interesting individual who I would love to talk with more in the future. I will keep you posted if ever I get that opportunity..!

The IFTAS 2012

2012-04-15T15:41:00.000Z

Having suddenly become a part of a new world of 'lights, cameras, action' I still find the thoughts of these big events quite daunting. That is not to say I don't look forward to them, or enjoy them, but rather the worries of 'What will people think of my dress?' 'What will the gossip sites say tomorrow?' and 'Does my bum/tum look big in this?' 'Will it photograph well?' "Am I wearing too much/too little makeup?' are still quite important questions which seem sometimes, to override that sense of excitement, and instead, turn it into stomach-churning worry.

The Red Carpet.

This is the part of the night that when I was younger I longed to be a part of, and now that I am well acquainted with it, I, along with many of my fellow models, actors and personalities, dread. Why? Well, let me put it like this. Have you ever had a bad photograph taken of you and it has become immortalised in the family photo album? Or perhaps is now hung on your parent's wall? Ok well imagine that same moment being captured by a dozen photographers, being immortalised in a National Newspapers, on a website for a global audience to see, and being recorded for National TV; try escaping that bad hair day! But we asked for it when we put ourselves out there didn't we? So therefore, we deserve to be criticized, judged and should just let everyone say what they want wihtout retaliating. Right?

Well, that is something I am still getting used to. As a 22 year old, I am finding that whilst I am growing stronger and more resilient, these events still cause sleepless nights.

Now for the light and fluffy part. The hair, makeup and dress! Now this part, I enjoy. Growing up, my parents prioritised the development of an holistic education for myself and my brothers, so instead of having the latest an greatest in designer clothes, my parents sensibly spent their money investing in our furute, in music lessons, sports, language and drama classes. There wasn't much time or money to be spent on clothes and therefore, growing up and up until recently I hadn't prioritised fashion because, well simply, I couldn't afford to. This isn't something to be ashamed of. I have no problem saying the words 'I am broke' or 'I bought it in Pennys.' That is not to say we were poor, but rather my parents were sensible. My point is that it is only of recent times that I had the time or the money to spend on clothes, so it is only recently that I became aware of my own fashion sense and began questioning it.

I am often asked 'How would you describe your fashion sense?' It seems an obvious question to ask a model and it should be one that, at this stage I am well- equipped to deal with. But it often perplexes me. What IS my fashion sense? Or do I have any!! Well, at the weekend I had a stimulating conversation with a friend, who echoed my thoughts exactly. She said that we are multi-faceted individuals as human beings, why should we confine ourselves to one particular hobbie/job/career/interest, this made me think about fashion too. Why should I fall under one category? I dress according to my mood. For the IFTAs I wanted to wear something that people would remember, something that was different and something that took me out of my comfort zone.

Umit Kutluk is a Turkish native studying in Ireland. I first became aware of his incredible talent when shooting for the Sunday World Magazine with Lili Forberg. This shoot produced two of my favourite shots that I have taken. One of them contains Umit's clothes.

I then met Umit again at the DCU Fashion Show 2011 which I was presenting in association with Diet Coke. He won the Young Designer of the Year award at this, and every other Student-run fashion show that year. A star in the making? Yes, indeed.

Eugene Moloney and I, a talented young actor from The Guard.

I contact Umit before the event and we discussed our influences and ideas. He told me he had just the dress for me, a full-lenght red lace evening gown. When I collected the dress I realised how he hadn't done the dress justice in his simplistic description. It was a work of art. His attention to detail is what makes his clothes unlike any young designer I have been acquainted with. The dress trails on the ground, with two red silk panels that are sewn to the back of the dress and flow behind you when you are walking in a remarkable manner which unfortunately wasn't captured in a still image. The shoulders are padded and the body of the dress held together by simply and elegant gold hook and eyes. The large slit in the middle had to be shift to the centre for me, because of my big long legs- thanks Dad! Those genetically acquired 'bad boys' are the reason I hate jeans shopping!
My hair was done by Michael Doyle in Peter Mark in St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Are you like myself and always called it Peter MarkSSSS? Well then, we stand together corrected. I love wearing my hair back off my face for Black Tie events as I feel it's more elegant that way. I'm also not so sure how i feel about my hair down, so this rules out that worry. I also find that my hair, when curled, falls quite quickly, so by after an hour or two in a warm room it's not fit to be photographed, and unfortunately you've to think of these things! Showbiz.ie will be outside at 4am waiting to snap that dull hair of yours!!! :p

First, Michael set my hair using rollers. Then he pulled my hair back into a low chignon and then took the front section and created a lift in the front to add drama and length to the face and the body. He is responsible for 99.9% of my red carpet hair styles. He is a genius.

My makeup was my own doing, I rarely go to anyone else. I did learn my tips and tricks from Kate O' Reilly and Sheena O' Brien, both of whom trained in MAC before working on various fashion shows and shoots. Sheena has her own boutique makeup Studio on Bachelors Walk where she is out the door with celebrity clients looking for fabulous faces. Subtle plug? I will do a recreate the look makeup video for this look on my youtube and I will pop up the video here on emmawaldron.com. If you've any particular questions go to the Ask Emma link above and send me them!
I was lucky enough to attend the event for the first time, and to have been a part of the Charity ICA Bootcamp series which won the award for 'Best Reality TV Show. Congratulations to the incredible team and contestants.
I hope you like the dress and you enjoyed the show, which was broadcast on RTE 1 and which can be seen on the RTE Player.

Love,

Emma

Turn off the Red Light Campaign

2012-03-30T14:21:00.000Z

I originally got involved in the Immigrant Council of Ireland after the issues that happened in the media with myself and my boyfriend Manners. I had been getting negative/vicious messages sent to me regularly because I was in an interracial relationship. I decided during European Week against Racism to speak out against racism and the hatred of another person because of one's race. Ireland is now a country if many colours, ethnicities and religions and there are many children/teens, and indeed adults, being victims of ignorant and hurtful abuse.

I felt as someone in the public eye that people of colour might see our relationship as a sign of hope, of a changing Ireland. That young people who are being bullied because of their skin colour can think that we get the same comments and we're still ok.

I then began learning more about the different projects and campaigns that the ICI is involved with and the Turn Off the Red Light Campaign really appealed to me. I am a young woman of 22 years and I feel strongly for the women who have been trafficked to Ireland for the purpose of sex slavery and also those Irish women who have been lead to it. A lot of these women are promised a better life, an education and a real job when they come to Ireland, when they come they find themselves forced into prostitution.

The actions taken by the ICI to criminalise the sale of sex is what is needed to reduce, and hopefully eliminate, the sale of sex and will cause the 180 million euro per anum industry to plumet.
Some people are of the belief that women enter willingly into prostitution and I was of this opinion before I got involved in the campaign, however their pain and emotional trauma is evident and documented by the organisation.
In 2010 the UK banned the purchase of sex from 'controlled individuals' which means from pimps or those that the trafficked women are dependent on. I think it is so important for these girls that the Irish Government takes this issue seriously and criminalises the purchase of sex. I think the more support the campaign receives the more the government will listen and I strongly back the ICI in it's efforts to save these women and protect them from harm.

Please show your support for the campaign by clicking here: http://www.turnofftheredlight.ie/action/

or donating http://www.turnofftheredlight.ie/donate/

This ring is ilicious!!

2012-03-10T22:42:00.000Z

Turquoise is my favourite colour in the whole world and my favourite way to wear it is in jewelry. This ring is by Lucas Jack who was jewelry featured in Vogue UK! LOOKSY:

Celebs are also rocking the Lucas Jack Jewels!

So I had to get some LJ too :p

You can get these gorgeous jewels in Chica Boutique in the Westbury Mall just beside Cafe Novo and The Westbury Hotel!

Enjoy!
Emmax

Evan Doherty Crystals and Co Shoot

2012-03-04T22:53:00.000Z

I really love this shoot! One of my absolute favourite photos is this one below, not because of me but just the makeup, the hair, the spider, the lips, the lighting, the earrings, the whole concept of the shot just works so well! Sheena from MAC did an amazing job on the makeup I think!! I can imagine it on the cover of a magazine like Vogue!...I'm dreaming a bit too much I think! Point is... I love the shot!

This shoot was one of the most intricate shoots I have done. There was so many things that we had to coordinate and prepare in advance because of the props involved in the shoot. We wanted to make each shot really strong and had an individual feel but fitted into the general theme of the shoot. Myself, Evan, Leah and Emily (Owners of Crystals and Co. Jewelry) researched different styles of photography and came together and decided on this style of bright colours and strong lighting.

How cute is the necklace on the teddy?!?!

The reason we decided to do the shoot was to celebrate that Crystals and Co. asked me to collaborate with them to design some pieces for their new Autumn/Winter Stock. I will keep you updated on the process as it happens :)

The styling of the shoot was done by Danielle Fitzgerald who I love and do a lot of shoots with. She has started writing a fashion diary in The Gloss magazine you should check it out it gives great tips on shops to visit, fashion trends and tips! Danielle's mother has a beautiful boutique called Rudi and Madison which is in Enniskerry, Wicklow.

This is such a funny picture! The bath was absolutely FREEZING and at one stage the shower randomly came on an poor Aimee Murphy the hair stylist extraordinaire nearly jumped into the bath to pull me out!! Luckily enough you can't notice it in the pictures anyway!!:)

U Magazine used one of the images in their Debs Issue! I've included a picture of the page! I hope you like it! :)

If you would like to buy any of the jewelry seen you can at www.crystalsandco.com :)

Styling by Danielle Fitzgerald

Makeup by Sheena (MAC)

Hair by Aimee Murphy

Love,

Emma x

India Part 7

2012-01-24T00:13:00.000Z

Day 7&8:

We drove to Chandigrah and then flew to Mumbai!!!! Teddy is getting to see a whole lot more of the world than he thought he would!!!

We spent a few hours here and then flew to Hyderabad where we would be based for the rest of our trip.

Everytime we arrived in a different hotel they would give us flowers and mark our heads with a red dot of vermillion paint called a Bindi. The hotel staff then perform an Arati which is really special and something that we should feel honoured to receive as it is a sign of worship and to seek blessing from the Gods.

We then receive flowers in various forms both as seen below:

This last method is called Garlanding!

By the time we had finished traveling it was late so we just had an interview with the Times of India and we had fittings for our fashion shows..and some joking around of course too!!

On the left you see Diana Miss Bikini International on her phone!! She's such a dote!! Everytime we went into a hotel or restaurant she would ask 'Is there Wifi' before we'd gotten out of the car nearly!! So we named her 'Little Miss Wifi!!!!" <3

India Part 6

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000Z

Day 6:

Today was a fun day! We got to meet a lot of the hotel staff and partake in one of the hotel's longest standing tradition of making a giant Christmas Cake (over 175kg) that would feed all the guests at the hotel! It was so much fun..we almost started a food fight (Claudia, Miss Bolivia Universe!!) Here are some pictures of myself and the girls 'mucking in'

Myself and Denise Miss Canada 2010 (who was also in Miss World with me!) modelled dresses by an India Designer in the hotel and they were auctioned off with the funds going to HKHK.

We spoke to the director of Tourism about HKHK and received beautiful scarves and a traditional Indian welcome.

That night we visited an orphanage in Ludhiana. It was a great experience. There is a school and playground, as well as rooms for each of the students. When we got there they were dying to show us their fish tank! So we went inside and they started counting how many fish were there, but because they kept moving the kept loosing count (SO CUTE!!!)

One child who was about three years old, came up and started pulling my dress, I lifted her up and she was on my hip for the rest of the night!

Their teacher asked them to get into a special formation and sing for us! They sang ‘Twinkle twinkle little star.’ The inner-teacher then came out in me and I thought them ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes!’

We went outside and they danced for us and they then taught us a dance. We then went to the playground and just had some fun playing on the swings and slides. The children are just so happy to see anyone different and won’t stop hugging you and trying to hold your hand. They radiate happiness and love. The centre takes really good care of them.

India Part 5

2012-01-23T21:56:58.000Z

Day 5:

Today was mainly a day of fundraising.

We opened two beautiful restaurants in the fast-growing city of Ludhiana. One of the restuarants was one of Nina Mehta's creations and it is sure to be a success as she is one of the most esteemed chef's in India. Her son gave each of us our own cookbook to take home with us - which was my favourite part of the day because the one thing I said to myself that I wanted to take home with me (apart from a child!!) was a cookbook!! I ADORE Indian food!!- here he is giving Miss Canada World 2010 Denise one of the books!

As you can see myself and Marika (Miss Slovenia Universe 2010) were really happy to be getting the cookbook!! :)

Ok...so maybe we're just getting silly now....

We met with MBD who create notebooks and copybooks from recycled paper and they donated thousands for our children in the Healthy Kids Happy Kids Centres.

I got into the spirit of things, as you can see here, and decided to don one of my Newbridge Silverwear Knecklaces in an Indian style... It kept falling down so i took it off later in the day..but I absolutely loved it! What do you think? Dare to be different or dont do it again!?!

That evening we got an hour off and went to the mall!!! It was so nice to relax and allow our emotions and minds settle. We were both physically and emotionally exhausted having seen so much and having travelled so much in the last few days. When we heard that there was a MAC shop in the centre we all ran to it..literally!! It's the small things in life, right?! I think it was just something that connected us with home and considering the few days we had had we needed a bit of fun..and fun we had!!

That night we were given awards in a small press conference for our contribution to Indian Society and headed straight for our leaba's!!

India Part 4

2012-01-23T15:44:00.000Z

Day4:

The next day we had organized a blood donation in the area and we greeted all the people who were donating their blood.

We then went to a centre for children with Cerebral Palsy. Here I met a child who I could have brought home with me! I fell in love with him!

Let me start from the start... Unfortunately, this story is not pretty.. We got off the bus and were greeted with a building that was delapadated and degenerated. When we walked inside we werent any more impressed. We went into the room where the younger children were 0-7 years. All along the perimetre of there room were children in highchairs, in the centre of the room there were cots with 2 and 3 children in some cots, at the back of the room there were about 7 children lying on a carpet staring at the ceiling. Many of the children in the high chairs were banging their heads against the walls and others their table. There was one child who was wailing and slapping his hands on the table.

Another child, who was so thin, had his head on his table and when I went to him I saw that he had dried vomit on his shirt. I immediately asked the worker to give me a shirt to change it and asked for a juice drink for him to have. It was clear that he hadn't been attended to for quite some time. In the cots the children were crying and hitting each other, as they cannot control their bodily movements. On the carpet the children just lay there motionless and without making any noise.

There was one child who had down syndrome and was faced down on the carpet, unable to move himself. There were flies everywhere and there was the most awful smell... We all put on brave faces and smiled and greeted all the children. Where and when we could we changed the child's cloths, position or moved them to a single cot.

There was one child on the floor, who's body was contorted and who I went an knelt beside. I started to talk to him (in that high-pitched voice that one talks to a child in) and suddenly his face changed, a huge smile took over his face. This made me so happy..I started to tickle his chest and talk to him. He began to laugh and move his body sporadically. It was as if happiness was oozing out of his pores, I cant explain the feeling.

He was wriggling around the floor, smiling from ear to ear, laughing and just beaming. I didn't want to leave his side. He had no way of communicating other than through making sounds or moving his body, but it was enough. There were many other children in the centre that day that I met, but I will never forget this child or how his laughter made me feel. There is a terrible sadness when you walk out the door again to leave them knowing that they are back to normality, back staring at the blank ceiling above them.

That evening we had two fashion shows. One was in one of the largest universities in Asia, the Lovely University Ludhiana. The students designs were absolutely INCREDIBLE! I was lucky enough to be able to keep this one...what do you think of it?!

The girls all rocked their outfits on the runway!!!

To read more about our trip click here and to see video footage click here!

The other was an open air fashion show in the centre of the city. Both of which raised money for Healthy Kids Happy Kids.

I loved modeling the traditional jewels and clothes, they're so ornately decorated which makes for stunning designs! :) This is myself and Marika Miss Slovenia Universe 2010..How stunning are her eyes?!?!?! WOW!!!

That night we after the show we drove to Ludhiana!:)

India Part 3

2012-01-23T15:17:25.000Z

Day3: Our photo's at the Taj Mahal were all over the front national and local newspapers and on all the news channels!

We had breakfast in a special restaurant looking at the Taj Mahal it was absolutely beautiful... Myself and Miss Iceland World 2010 Fanney Ingvarsdottir got a little hyper...so here are a few fun pictures!!

We then visited a hidden spot unknown to tourists and it was spectacular to watch the silhouette of the Taj Mahal on that misty morning.

We met two gorgeous children and an old lady carrying their weeks supplies back to their house, which was made from mud and faced the back of the Taj Mahal. They were wearing the most beautifully coloured clothing and the old woman had silver bracelets around her feet. They were so tiny compared to me and even kneeling down I am the same size as them! It was like I had stepped into a National Geographic picture that had become a reality!

We drove from Agra to Dehli and I spent the whole time taking in every detail! There are people everywhere, walking through traffic, sitting at the side of the road, banging on the windows of the bus begging, standing behind their stalls, cooking food at the side of the street, carrying sacks of rice on their heads, waiting for buses, walking their cows... You see all kinds of people, business men, women in colourful sahri's, women in long black burkas, children wearing just cloth underpants that have turned brown with the dust, children dressed immaculately in bright red school uniforms, men in turbans and men in suits... There are monkeys on roof tops, climbing the electricity wires, sitting on window sills, rummaging through rubbish and sitting on doorsteps. There is poverty everywhere you look. There is rubbish all over the streets and you can't drive for two minutes without passing a person looking through a pile of rubbish for food.

One thing I found ‘difficult to digest' is the fact that you will see a small child looking for food amoung the rubbish and beside him will be a cow doing the same. The cow is a sacred animal in India and it is as if they value the cows life more than the child's sometimes. For example, in this particular instance the woman who owned the cow was looking through the rubbish to find food for the cow, not the little boy... I think it is probably just a cultural difference that made me feel this way it is just difficult to see that food is going to animal before it is going to a child...

We then flew from Dehli to Amritsar where our baggage went missing!!! We had no time to wait for it as we were meeting children from our school right away!

We weren't aware we had this arranged until we landed in Amritsar and so had no makeup and all looked quite tired having travelled for 12hours!!! However, the kids cheered us right up! They are taught by a very kind man who volunteers his time every evening after work to teach them. The children live in a small slum located beside a railway where they spend their day begging and their evening in school. This is one of my favourite moments: We were all interacting with the children and I was talking with the teenage boys (roughly 12-16years old) and I was trying to think of ways to make them happy/laugh or how to effect them in some way- with the younger children it is easier you can sing/ask them to sing or say a poem but with teenage boys I didn't know what to do- so I decided to ask one of the hotel staff to turn on music and I showed them some typical Irish dances, ‘big fish, little fish, cardboard box' and the likes and I got them to copy me! They then showed me some Punjab dance moves and we had a little mini disco. Everyone was jumping around and having a great time. I can honestly say it was one of the best moments of my life.

To give children who have so little happiness in their lives a chance to dance, laugh and smile meant the world to me. I really didn't want them to leave some were openly crying leaving and others had tears in their eyes, I was holding them back myself trying to be strong for them... I will remember that moment as long as I live.. Before they left we gave them all school jumpers and gave money to the teacher to help fund the school but more importantly we gave them, and they gave us a memory we will never forget.

After this we went to the Golden Temple, which was originally a temple for the Shik religion but now it welcomes all people of all religions. The temple is a huge structure made completely from Gold and it looks radient at night time with the lights reflecting off the gold.

We walked behind a prcoession of men in turbans, who were chanting and lighting insense. We touched the ground at the entrance of the temple as a symbol of respect and also to ask for good wishes from the Gods. There is a man dressed in white who leads prayer and another man who uses a large white feather to spread the insense smoke. We bow and touch the floor as a mark f respect for the traditional service.

As we drove to Jalandhar late that night we were greeted with bilboards with ‘Angels of India' written on them and our faces..it was incredible to see this, I never imagined anything like this would happen in my life...

when we reached Jalandhar we had fittings for a fashion show we would have the next day and then ran up to bed to catch some much needed Z's!

India Part 2

2012-01-23T14:45:00.000Z

Day 2: We woke up early in the morning to drive to Agra, a heavily populated area where the Taj Mahal is located!

Seeing the Taj Mahal was, unfortunately, a bitter-sweet moment for all of us! As you can see from the image above we were swarmed by photographers and cameramen and had 70 armed guards walking us through the throng of people!

Everywhere we turned all we could see were crowds of people and camera's and flashing lights in our faces! (Now I know how Beyonce feels!!!)We weren't able to take in our surroundings properly and the whole experience is a bit of a blur...

However, the ‘sweet' moment was when you walk through the entrance to the Taj Mahal garden, my heart skipped a beat. There are two kinds of ‘Wow,': the ‘wow' that you say in a conversation with your girl friends when talking about something relatively exciting, and the ‘wow' that you feel when you see the Taj Mahal. It made me stop in my tracks and odd as it sounds, I had to hold back tears. It is so incredibly beautiful. The white marble gleams in an almost Godly manners and just strikes you in a way no other place in the world has. I have seen Niagara Falls, The Great Wall of China, The Blue Mosque, The Eiffel Tower, The Golden Gate Bridge, The Empire State Building, The Mona Lisa and nothing compares to the WOW you feel when you see the Taj Mahal.

After that we had a press conference and got to see some children from a school that Healthy Kids Happy Kids helps. They are first genereation educated children who come from local slums. The school provides them with books, materials, a uniform and food. If you teach one child, you are not only educating them, but you are educating their parent's their siblings and their children. You are helping a family to rise up against poverty. We gave each of these children a school bag to carry their books and played with them for a little bit before having a press conference about how we help this partiucular school.

We visited a local crafts store where we saw the men who carve marble statues of the Taj Mahal.

It is incredible to see the different stones used in the actualt Taj Mahal are used in the miniature versions!

This is myself and my roomie Miss Iceland 2010 Fanney Ingvarsdottir standing beside the finished marble replica! Isn't it beautiful??!!

We were so well received by the media in India and we are grateful for the time they put into writing articles about Healthy Kids Happy Kids and our efforts in the various locations we visited. In India, Beauty Queens - Miss World/Universe title holders- are held in such high regard. It was such a shock to me when we found out that Tom Cruise visited the Taj Mahal the next day and only received a small picture in the inside of the papers and we got the front cover of all the major national papers. This showed me just how much pride the people of India take in their Beauty Queens! :)

After all the activity that went on that day, it is safe to say that we all were very much looking forward to our beds that night!!! :)

Love

Emma

xox

Purple Dress and Gold Bangles from Chica Boutique in the Westbury Mall

India

2012-01-23T01:48:00.000Z

I travelled to India recently to do some work with the charity I am involved with called Healthy Kids Happy Kids. This charity was established by a fashion designer Satish Sikha in 2007 in Toronto, with the aim of setting up centres that would educate, house, feed and give medical treatment to street children and physically challenged children in various parts of India.

During our stay we visited New Dehli, Agra, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Chandigrah, Mumbai, Narahaynpur and Hyderabad trying to do whatever we could for the children in the centres in the short time that we were there.

I will try to share some of my experiences with you in the best way that I can, but oftentimes, as I have found when describing it to friends and family over the phone, it is difficult to verbalise the emotions and experiences, as they are so deep and so different to what I am used to that finding the words doesn't come as easily as I would have expected.

However, I will do my best!

I began my journey with my good friend Fanney Ingvarsdottir, Miss Iceland 2010, who I met in China at Miss World. She had been in India before with HKHK and spoke highly of her experiences but also expressed her anxiety about the forthcoming events as she said they are ‘difficult to digest.'

We landed in Dehli having had only an hours sleep!!!

We were whisked straight to a press conference where we talked about our plans for HKHK. We talked about the huge margin between the rich and the poor and the extremes we saw just as we drove from there airport, where large, lavishly decorated houses were juxtaposed beside a tent where a whole family would live. We talked about creating a culture of giving in India, where previously, because of the caste system, there was none. We met with many government officials, politicians and local partners for global charities and tried to spread our message. Then it was CHOW TIME!! It was my first experience of authentic Indian food...and it was DELICIOUS!

We then planted a tree, there is a two-fold meaning behind this, so that our visit would be remembered but also to encourage people to plant trees, as trees take in carbon dioxide and give fresh oxegyn! Dehli is one of the most polluted cities in the world.

The reason we travelled to India was both to meet the children, but also to raise the profile of the organisation and thus in turn raise funds for the charity. So it was a mixture of business and personal

which sometimes was difficult because sometimes it felt like we wanted to be with the children more and it was so hard to leave them..but at the same time we had to remember that without us

playing our part and raising funds the centres wouldn't be able to run..! :)

That night we went to beautiful gala in the city so we put on our bestest dresses and hit the town!

We were given the most beautiful plaque that read 'Beauty with a heart of gold' which epitomises our group's ethos, we used our title's to raise awareness about an important issue, so this plaque meant a lot to us..

I would love to share with you some of my experiences of my recent travels to India..I will do it in sections so I don't overload you with information! I hope you enjoy reading, I would love to hear your responses and about your experiences too..Feel free to post them below!

Love,

Emma

xoxo

Long green dress from Camille Boutique

Jewels and bag are from Crystals and Co.

Day 1.

2011-12-05T19:51:00.000Z

Today I arrived in Dehli, India!! :)

This is a picture taken from the plane as we flew over the Himalayas!

The Himalayas stretches from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, India, Bhutan,

Burma, and China. It separates India from China. They are one of the youngest

of mountain ranges dating back about 80million years to the Jurassic era when

the world's land masses were split. The range includes Mount Everest

(the tallest mountain in the world) and K2!

Beautiful metal sculptures of different traditional hand signs.

I have arrived!!!!!

I met Miss Iceland from my year at Miss World in London and we both flew together to Dehli!! I was so happy to have her with me she was on of my best friends at Miss World 2010!! We are REUNITED AGAIN!!!!

Myself and Miss Iceland, Fanney Ingvarsdottir at Miss World 2010!

After what seemed to be the longest flight in my life (I'm not dramatic at all am I?!) we arrived and met all the other girls: Miss Slovenia, Miss Bolivia, Miss Bikini International (jealous boys??!!) and Miss Canada - also from our year at Miss World!!

Picture of all of us together :)

Then we all went straight to a press conference in Dehli!! In an effort to increase awareness about Global Warming and the importance of trees we each planted a tree on our arrival. We discussed the importance of trees for fresh, clean oxygen, which is of particular relevance in a city that is as polluted as Dehli is.

Here I am planting my tree!

We then met the gorgeous Miss California Internation and her boyfriend who is also her escourt as she has been travelling around India for the past two months. He was born in India but now lives in California with Jenny!

Miss California Internation :)

I then had my first experience of India Cuisine!! What a treat!! :) Thanks to my boyfriend I am a lover of spicy food! Before I met him I couldn't handle spice, but now, having been with him for a while I have been forced (willingly!) to liven up my taste buds and increase the spice in my life!! So I adore the food here!!! Poor Miss Slovenia is having a rough time because she can't stand spicy food!!!! When I say spicy I mean she doesn't even put black pepper on her food!! So imagine her difficulty over here..! She has to order food with 'no spice' which the chef didn't quite understand and unfortunately she had to have snacks from the mini bar to survive!! My favourite meal thus far is Paneer Tikka Masala which is cheese in a tikka sauce which is just GORGEOUS with garlic naan bread!!

Paneer Tikka Masala!

A close second is Aloo Mata Tariwala which is a vegetarian dish with peas, green beans, green peppers served in a spicy curry sauce!

Aloo Matar Tariwala!

We then got dressed and went to a press conference in a hotel in Dehli where journalists from all over the capital and many government officials and embassy officials attended also. We stood taking photographs for about 2 1/2 hours and I was literally falling asleep on my feet having had only 3 hours sleep at that stage...!

Myself and Miss Iceland..etc (green dress!)

In this photo I am wearing a dress by 'Ingenuine' which I got in

Camille Boutique in Malahide. My jewelry is by Crystals and Co:)

Then it was up to bed for some R&R :)

Night all <3

Kisses Emma xxx

Fifi Florberg and Iany Beany's Wedding!!

2011-09-10T23:59:00.000Z

If you have no faith in love and you think it doesnt exist you haven't met Ian and Lili!! WARNING: This will got soppy!!

They are the nicest people in the world. They have so much love and respect for each other. I've never met a couple like them they have so much fun together and are both truely children at heart! They joke and play with each other like they are only dating a few months even though they've been together 10 years. It is heart warming to see them together. I love them both with ALL my heart x x I know they don't need it but I wish them so much luck with their marriage and their life.

HOW HOT IS LILI???!!!!!!!

Lots of love to you both x

Emma xx

Bridal Shoot in The Marine Hotel

2011-08-29T01:56:00.000Z

This week I did a beautiful bridal shoot and I loved the hair, makeup and dresses so much that I said I would share some of the images with you!

The shoot was in the Marine Hotel in Dun Laoighaire. I loved everything about this shoot so much!

Sometimes when you're on a shoot you have layers of makeup piled on your face and it feels so heavy and dirty. What really impressed me was how Aisling applied the makeup. She spent about 15 minutes doing the initial look and added red lips later. I was shocked when she had finished with my foundation as there was only the lightest layer on. It was great and it meant then that it didnt get dry and I think it looked great! Do you?!

I also love this style for the hair it's very 1920's and glamorous! It was sleeked back first into a ponytail. A trick when you want a tight ponytail is to put a bobby pin on either end of a bobbin and put that in your hair and wrap the bobbin around the hair. Now when you have extensions like me, tying your hair up can be a pain in the posterior! The glue shows and little bits stick out and it's the one and only downfall of extensions! What I would advise is if you're getting them and you like to tie your hair back often say it to the hair stylist that you want them back a bit from the front because of this. Anna from Hotlox Hair Extensions is great you can find her on Facebook. Otherwise, if you have them in already the bits at the front that you do have backcomb them and then smooth them out strategically to cover the glue/microbeads. The hairstylist Sandra is like a miracel worker! She had a lot of hair to work with! If you want to create this look and you don't have a lot of hair why not buy some padding/donuts in it to give it a bit more volume!

Sandra plaited extensions and created this gorgeous plaited fringe I absolutely love it! Plaits are very much in 'vogue' right now so this is another way to wear it! If you have a lot of hair and you aren't working against the clock instead of using hair extensions you can use your own hair!

Look how gorgeous these earrings are! They are handmade by Laura Connelly who can also be found on Facebook (just click on her name and it will bring you there!)

The actual pictures will follow :)

iPhone 4 Review

2011-08-28T13:39:00.000Z

The iPhone 4 when it was first released was the most anticipated phone of all time. The iPhone 4 has all the qualities a fine woman should beauty, class and elegance.

Both the front and the back of the iPhone 4 are made of a bendable glass which is said to be 20 times stronger than plastic and 30 times more durable. The iPhone 4 has a more square design than the iPhone 3 with rounded edges and a stainless steel outter rim with a built in antannae design which aims to eliminate the problems the iPhone 3 had with bad reception.

This antannae design can be seen in the far right picture as a descreet black line. This is repeated on both the top and sides of the phone. Some people experience drops in reception if these are covered however this hasn't happened to me.

The iPhone4 has what Apple calls a 960x640 LCD Retina Display which is the clearest and sharpest of any smart phone on the market. It is perfect for those who enjoy gaming, creating a whole other dimension making you feel as if you are part of the game. The Retina Display allows you to zoom right into text or images without loosing it's clarity.

It is simply wonderful. Again I will show you a comparison with the iPhone 3 :

The iPhone 4 has an incredible 5 megapixel camera on the back with an LED Flash and a capacity to shoot HD videos at 13 frames per second which allows for smooth and fast recording. There is nothing worse than looking back at a video of a concert, event or funny moment and the whole thing is blurred. The camera allows you to focus, turn on and off the flash and HD and switch between front and back cameras. The one thing I find bad about the camera is taking photos or videos at night time as the quality isn't the best. The likes of the HTC Desire HD is much better at night time shots! Havig said that it is the application that I get the most use of on my phone without a doubt.

One of the greatest features of the iPhone 4 is it's ability to multi-task. The iPhone 4 now allows you to switch easily from one application to the next without loosing where you were on the previous app. For example if you were looking at a post on www.emmawaldron.com and you wanted to check what the weather was like outside you can simple click the home button on your iPhone and go to the Weather Application. When you return to the Safari App (Apple's internet browser) it will be in the exact same place as you left it. This makes for easy usability. Apple have added a multi-tasking bar which makes it even easier to switch between open applications. If you double click the home button this bar with appear:

You can scroll right and left to find the application you want to switch to. When you're here you can also quit applications easily by holding down on an app icon until this appears: This saves on battery power.

Simply click the red buttons to close the applications. If you scroll to the far left you can change the song, lock the orientation and change the volume.

When your phone is locked it's easy to change the song and the volume too just double click the home screen and this screen will appear: Simples!

Folders is a great way of managing all your applications so instead of having to scroll through 100's of applications to find the one app you're looking for you can group your applications into folder for easier organisation. You simple drag the app on top of another app and a folder is created and an name is generated automatically it can be renamed. It is also easy to find apps using the 'Search iPhone' screen which is on the far left. These new features make organising, managing and finding applications on the new iPhone 4 even easier.

Speaking of searching on the new Safari you can 'Search Keywords' which saves you time when browsing.

There are so many great features on the iPhone 4 like Find my iPhone which is run by Mobile Me. If you loose your phone you simply log into me.com and it finds the GPS location of your phone, a message appears on your phone like this:

The Game Centre feature helps to connect and play games with friends all over the world. Unified emails alows you to access your various email accounts - gmail, yahoo, hotmail etc- in a single timeline making it easier to see emails.

Facetime is Apple's version of video-calling and this is where the front facing camera really comes in handy. You can connect with people all over the world at one touch. You can also switch between cameras so the person on the end of the line can see exactly what you see. When my other half was away this came in so handy! I felt a part of the whole trip and a little bit closer to him. *Insert AWW here :)

Let's talk software! The iPhone4 has iOS4.3 (the newest update) has now improved on Safari and allows it to run JavaScript twice as fast as the iOS4.2 update. What is even better than speedy browsing- I can barely contain my excitement when I say this- is Home Sharing. It is about time that Apple sorted this out. Finally you can play your music from you iTunes on all your Apple products without the pain of syncing them! Thank you Apple!

Finally the Personal Hotspot is one of the single best things about the iPhone 4. it allows you and others connect to your 3G data to connect to the internet without charging them anything. This is great for traveling allowing you to watch movies online on your computer powered by the internet on your phone. What is even better is that if you have a wifi-enabled iPad you can still connect to a personal hotspot even though you dont have a 3G enabled iPad. Brilliant! However be careful about data charges on your phone! For people of free unlimited data plans it is the best!

Sexy shoot for The Irish Sun

2011-08-20T16:15:00.000Z

This is one of my absolute FAVOURITE shoots I have ever done because it's that little bit more edgy and fierce! It is the result of the hard work from an incredible team I've had the joy of working with a number of times now- Photographer Lili Forberg, Hair and Makeup Aimee Murphy and styling by Danielle Fitzgerald. The hair extensions are by HOTLOX Hair Extensions! They are my absolute favourite! They make my hair so full! Check out the 3rd last photo to see how HUGE it is!!

Let me know below what you guys think :) I hope you love it as much as I do!!!!! <3

Emma xx

Mimi Frou Frou! I love YOU!

2011-03-10T21:27:00.000Z

So I have a SLIGHT obsession with this new label I discovered called Mimi Frou Frou! I got it from a boutique called Rudi and Madison in Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow. I think they have another boutique in Booterstown or Blackrock it's only opened this year if anyone knows the name please let me know!

I wore it to a dinner in Blooms to raise money for Oxfam. Boy this dinner GGOOOODD!!! They served THE nicest chicken I have ever had. It was glazed with honey mustard and the potato was the creamiest fluffiest yummiest mash I.have.ever.had. I NEED THAT RECEIPE! I'm hungryyyy now!

Anyhew here's a picture of the dress :) let me know what you think! Ps. The shoes are a cheap and cheerful buy from Penny's for about 21e. Tip: the great thing about beige is it makes your legs look longer/skinnier...WIN! x

Emma x

HTC Rhyme :)

2011-02-10T02:01:00.000Z

The new HTC Rhyme is a smart, sleek stylish phone for the young professional. Originally launched in the US in just the plum colour, the phone was gerenally perceived to be marketed at women but now the phone comes in three nature inspired colours - plum, stone and light blue - in an attempt to make the phone more "man-friendly"!

The HTC Rhyme boasts an alluminium unibody design with soft touch curved finish. It is 4.69 inches tall, 2.39 inches wide and .43 inches thick, perfect for those of us with smaller hands (women) who can't quite manage the larger HTC-4.3"- phones. Despite only wieighing 130g the phone is more solid than it feels, having dropped it already - for test purposes of course!- it was left with no scratches, and, despite the fact that it doesn't have the Gorilla Glass, the screen didn't crack. The screen is a sharp 3.7 inch WVGA touch screen perfect for those users looking to switch over from the iPhone who aren't quite ready for the larger screens synonymous with the HTC. There is a built-in accelerometer which allows it to maintain incredible sharpness when turning the phone on it's side. There are 2 cameras on the HTC Rhyme, a 5 megapixel rear camera with LED Flash and a VGA front-facing camera, perfect for video calls. I was quite disappointed by the standard 5 megapixel camera and that it wasn't an 8 megapixel camera which is in most other HTC smartphones.

The camera features most definitely make up for this. One of my favourite things about the HTC Rhyme is the ability to take panoramic photos. The camera can takes 3 pictures and merges them together to create one unified photograph, perfect for capturing that holiday sunset or the view from the top of the Empire State building! The face detection feature allows you to focus in on your subject improving it's clarity. The instant shutter means that you never miss that moment but in case you're worried that you will, the clever people in HTC have created a burst mode allowing you take 5 consecutive pictures. The high-dynamic-range mode takes 3 pictures at different exposures and puts them together, which means when you're taking a photo of someone and the light is behind them the picture will still come out really well. There is also a range of effects to choose from when taking a picture, as there are with other HTC phones. They are easily uploaded to social networks by simply clicking the share button where all your social networking sites, emails and message applications are displayed. The pictures are saved straight to the included 8g SD Card not the 4g internal memory. The HTC Rhyme is powered by Android Gingerbread 2.3 and the newest HTC Sense 3.5 which allows you to personalise your phone within an inch of it's life, which the iPhone could definitely beneift from. Despite the Rhyme running both of these on a 1Ghz processor, the 768RAM helps to make it run smoothly with problems only arising when using certain applications requiring intensive flash videos or games. This means for the regular user there are no problems with speed or applications freezing. The HTC Sense 3.5 has some enchancements which really clean up the look of the Rhyme, with imporovements to the animations, transparencies and 3D effects. It has a 3D homescreen carousel and a lock screen which boasts 4 shortcuts to your favourite applications allowing you to unlock your phone and go straight there!

The new home screen widget gets rid of the clutter of the previous designs and allows you add 5 apps with a shortcut quickview function which is great for taking a quick glance at a text or missed call when you're in a meeting or class.

The real selling point of the HTC Rhyme are the unique accessories, the LED Charm, the bluetooth wireless docking station and the tangle-free headphones. The LED notification charm is a great asset which at first I thought I would have no use for. I then began using it in the library when my phone was on silent and it was great, I always knew when I got a call or message. It would be great also in any situation where your phone has to be on silent so if you are waiting for an important call you won't miss it. It clips easily to a bag or shirt so it is great when you're out, if you're like me and you always miss calls on a night out because you can't hear your phone this will solve your problems! If you are worried about the fact that it plugs into your earphone socket it's ok because you will hear when you get a message with those anyway!

The earphones included are flat rubber tangle-free earphones. Now, when they say tangle-free they really mean that it will tangle and get into knots but not into big tight ones that you can't undo...I suppose it's a bit difficult to shorten that into a catchy one-line selling point? Anyway below I included a picture of my earphones knotted but not too badly that it couldn't be undone quickly. The sound quality is great on the earphones, they're no comparison with Beats but they certainly are much better than the normal earphones included with the phone. The in-ear rubber covering wont fit everyone but HTC have included a second smaller pair just in case.

Lastly, my absolute FAVOURITE thing about the phone - even more so than the panoramic pictures- is the incredible wireless bluetooth docking system. This is what will make you buy the phone! You simply drop the phone into the dock and it begins charging and changes to a special dock mode. The dock mode can be customised allowing you access your music library, see the time and weather and your favourite apps. It acts as an alarm clock, music player and charger. There is a dim light function for when you're charging your phone while you're sleeping.

The HTC Rhyme is a great phone with an easily accessible design/layout. The included accessories, camera features and the quicklook functionality and app shortcuts on the lock screen really differentiate this phone from it's competitors. I would definitely recommend it as the perfect Christmas gift.