Dining at the Lava Rock..

As you might of known by now I had quite a lot to celebrate last weekend after receiving some really exciting news about my job with Fafinder (frockadvisor). Colin and I rarely ever go out to restaurants and sit down for dinner unless we have a special occasion ,for the simple reason that we rarely have the time  between work and sport. Last weekend we finally pulled ourselves together and decided to head out to the Lava Rock in Castle Street, Cahir to celebrate. I had only ever been there for lunch with my Mam and Colin had never been there before so we thankfully didn't have to have the whole "where will we eat? " argument and we both decided that the Lava Rock was the perfect choice. Those of you who know me, will know by now that I am possibly the fussiest person ever when it comes to food and I actually freak out about what will be on the menu that I would eat-  as I am the definition of a Plain Jane.

Firstly, something I loved about the Lava Rock was that the Menu is lit up with LED lights just outside the entrance to the Restaurant - which is ideal for someone as fussy as me as you can make your mind up before you go in and avoid the mortification. There's so many choices and variety on the menu between starters, main courses and desserts.  Personally, I was torn between 3 choices of main course - which is something that I find very rare for me when I go to a restaurant.

I am not a vegetarian but I am the worlds worst when it comes to meat- I'm just not a fan of it but I eat it on a rare occasion.   I had  heard so many people raving about Lava Rocks Homemade Chargrilled Beef burger which was served with Homemade cut chips so I decided to brave it and opt for that as my main course and Colin followed suit, and I can assure you that it lived up to the standards that I had set for it. One word A-M-A-Z-I-N-G to be honest that was the one word that I would use to sum up the whole dining experience..

We were served our food 20 minutes after ordering which we were so shocked about as everything is made to order.   The kitchen is situated at the top of the dining room so you can see the Chefs hard at work  creating your dishes, which was something that really impressed me as you could see how clean the kitchen surfaces and appliances were and how the hygiene of the staff was second to none. From the minute we stepped foot into the Restaurant we were given 5* treatment. Both of us literally couldn't pick out one single fault. The table plan is done in such a way that each table has their own privacy, you are not sitting on top of the people beside you in the next table, there is literally nothing worse than been able to hear the conversation beside you - so me been the unsociable person I am you can probably guess I was well impressed with the table plan. The staff were top notch on the night super friendly and helpful and lastly the most important bit the food was obviously absolutely out of this world, it's probably the first time I've ever cleared my plate, no exaggeration.

As party season is slowly approaching, I would highly recommend the Lava Rock for your party night destination. As I've said numerous times now,  I am possibly your worst nightmare of a customer as I am so picky so if you can impress me you are doing fairly alright. You can check out their Facebook by clicking on this link-->Lava Rock or you can check out their website -->Lava Rock where it has there menus online. That's all for this week I hope you enjoyed reading my post.

Until Next Time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe X

Trust The Timing Of Your Life..

In September 2012, I entered Transition Year in School for many people it's the best year of your life and for others it may not be,  for me it was pretty bitter sweet as I parted from my group of friends that I had spent my whole childhood with, as I was the only one out of my group of friends to opt for Transition Year. I previously told you all that 2012 was possibly the worst year of my whole life as it was the year when my health was the worst that it had ever been. I decided that participating in Transition Year would be the best option for me as I was in and out of hospital and it would only result in me missing out on too much school.

From 2012 onwards my whole life became a worry. I began to worry about literally every little thing in the world. My biggest worry was my career, when you hit the age of 15 or 16 life gets that little bit more stressful as you have to start preparing yourself for the big bad world.   The conversation about what you would like to do in College is something that is talked about on a daily basis and I used to freak out about it as I literally had no idea what I wanted to do or on the other hand what type of career I would be physically able for with my illness.

1st to 3rd year I was achieving really good grades in school but as the time went on and I started to get sicker and sicker.  I was missing more and more school and as you can imagine that resulted in my grades drastically dropping, so of course that was another factor I had to worry about. When you are 15 years old all you should be worrying about is what you are going to wear to the next disco not worrying about where you will be in 3 or 4 years time, but unfortunately I wasn't that type of teenager.

Stress and ME (Caoimhe Hickey) and M.E ( Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) don't go well together,  you can imagine the effect that all of the stress was having on my body, so I decided at the beginning of 6th Year that I would take a year out of school once I had the Leaving Cert completed- that way I wouldn't be beating myself up over having to achieve a specific amount of points and what would be  at the end of the day.

I finished the Leaving Cert and I actually surprised everyone including myself with my Leaving Cert results  so you're probably thinking that by settling on taking a year out that everything settled down and I started to relax again but in reality things got worse. I was watching everyone's snapchat stories of been on nights out in College having the time of their life and I was still sitting at home freaking out about what I would end up doing with myself. Keep in mind my friends that I parted with in Transition Year are now in their final year of College which was extremely over whelming for me as I knew they would have a Degree and I was still deciding what I wanted to do, I lost my appetite, I was loosing out on sleep and over all I turned into the most moodiest person in this world. No joke, I became miserable.

I Finally decided that I had to pull myself together and stop worrying about the future and what will be will be. The minute I stopped beating myself up,everything began to fall into place. I found a new found love for writing, I decided to share my passion for fashion,beauty and health and I began to share it publically.  6 months to the exact date I began blogging I have over 1000 followers, I have a slot on TippFm Radio every Tuesday at 2.30p.m. on the Owen Lonergan Show. I have written an article for Stellar Magazine(which should be in the November edition), reported for Dublin Fashion Fetsival and lastly the news I have been dying to share with you all.....

I am now a Regional Reporter for Brendan Courntey and Sonya Lennon,s Company FaFinder- previously known as Frockadvisor. Brendan Courtney asked me to be the Regional Reporter for the south of Ireland on the very last day of Dublin Fashion Festival. I was waiting to clarify all the details before I announced it.  . I will be bringing you the latest updates of fashion available from each county in the south of Ireland which is so surreal.

This is something I have always wanted to do ever since I was a young girl and I am absolutely blown away with the amount of opportunities I have been fortunate enough to be given at such a young age. I finally found something that I was passionate about and the minute I found my inner happiness my whole outlook on life changed. If there is anyone out there who might feel or have felt how I did over the past few years- please please please don't give up on your dreams. Do not compare your situation to anyone else's  "what's meant for you certainly won't pass you", my mother has always told me that from a young age and its only now that I am realising that she has always been right, but we all have to learn the hard way and expierence it for ourselves. At the end of the day there is no elevator to success you have to take the stairway.

That's all for now, I hope that you enjoyed reading this weeks blog post, I will be starting my Regional work with FaFinder within the next week or two so stay tuned as ill be filling you in on all of the details and just remember......

Until next Time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe x

My First Driving Lesson..!

On The 17th of November 2015 I passed my Theory test on the first attempt, which i was highly surprised with, as i didn't know a single thing about driving or a car for that matter! I just sort of winged it and did a bit of  eenie-meenie-miney moh to answer the questions and I managed to get 39/40 meaning, I just got one question wrong! To be honest, I literally only sat the theory test because I had set a target at the beginning of 2015 that i would have my theory test complete by the end of the year, and generally, once I set an aim I do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Long story short, after having my licence for 10 months I finally contacted John Browne- Browne School of Driving. I have literally feared the day that I would be the one sitting behind the wheel of the car. I am the worst passenger ever, so I honestly thought I would be a nervous wreck behind the wheel.. My first lesson was for 11am this morning (25th of September) and when i told people to beware on the road, I was reassured  that it was safe enough as everyone would be at mass at that time, so I knew I was off to a good start. 

I literally didn't have a notion as to what to do once I sat behind the wheel of a car all I knew was I had to put on my safety belt,put the key in the hole and i this time i had to actually had to use the mirrors  to check for cars and not to use them to check if my make up was okay - after that I didn't have a clue.I'm not going to lie i spent from 9 o clock this morning googling - what pedals are in a car? how do you drive a manual car? and so on and so forth. As you can tell i really was putting my driving instructors life in my hands, but after stalling the car about 10 times and giving John a Minor case of whiplash I finally got into the swing of things and relaxed a small bit.

I had myself convinced this morning that all I would be doing was sitting in the one spot getting used to the pedals,gears mirrors, indicators,and the steering wheel but that's not what John had in mind for me as by 11:15am I was driving down the By pass in Cahir. I was thrown straight into the deep end which I was actually glad of as I didn't have time to over think anything I just had to take control- I suppose that's how everyone had to learn, I just felt that bit more vulnerable behind the wheel as i have an attention span of a 3 year old and I forget what I'm doing.

You're probably wondering what did I learn Today besides how to conk a car and give the passenger whiplash? Keep in mind that this was my first time EVER sitting behind the wheel so we had to start from scratch. First off I learned about the pedals -The clutch , brake and accelerator I learned what they're for, when to use each pedal, and what leg to use for each of the pedals-Which is alot to take something so simple but to anyone starting off it's vital to know!!We then mastered the gears, I used 1st,2nd,3rd and 4th gear and lastly I took on the challenge of going around a roundabout for my first time and guess what? I didn't cry and even better still I SURVIVED!

I am kicking myself that I didn't bite the bullet and make an appointment for a lesson straight away after i passed my theory test as afterall, it really wasn't as bad as i thought it would be.It's just like everything practice makes perfect. I have decided to document each lesson that I have with John over the next few weeks, so that ye can see how I'm getting on- and I can Gaurentee  you that It will be very interesting as the weeks progress as I'll be doing, hill starts,parking, and U-Turns. That's All For now but stay tuned as i have my second lesson this week. In the mean time if you're looking for a Driving Instructor you can contact John On 086-3733759 or Check out his facebook page right here--->Browne Driving School . 

Until Next Time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe x

21seconds is all it takes..

On the 17th of July I made a decision that basically changed my life all in the space of 21 seconds. You're probably wondering how my life changed in the space of 21 seconds so here it goes, As most of you will know by now June 2016 I attended James butlers blogger workshop in conjunction with frockadvisor and Galaxy Ireland which was amazing and I was grateful to be given that opportunity alone. When the workshop was coming to a close Sonya Lennon announced that there was a follow up competition that we could enter to become a frockadvisor Galaxy Style reporter for Dublin Fashion Festival 2016, this time all you had to do was record a short video which contained a small bit about yourself and why you would like to win. I was in two minds as to if I should record the video or not because I was convinced that people would judge me.

Sunday the 17th of July after I finished putting on my make-up I decided that I would bite the bullet and record a video as at the end of the day  I am the maker of my own destiny and  I wasn't going to leave the opportunity of a lifetime pass me by. I recorded 21 seconds of a video and submitted it to my Twitter account. On the 22nd of July Brendan Courtney Announced the winner of the competition and I was blown away that I was chosen, I was like a child on Christmas morning no joke! From that moment on everything started to fall into place for me, my blog was getting recognised all over the country I was been contacted by local shops and newspapers while also getting contacted by nationwide companies such as Oxendales who kindly sponsored all of my outfits for Dublin Fashion Festival and Louise Breslin Owner of Laveesha Jewellery who gifted me with some amazing jewellery. It has just been a crazy few weeks since the announcement.

It’s now Sunday the 17th of September 2 months since the exact day that I bit the bullet made the video.Dublin Fashion Festival has come to an end and I have had the most amazing week ever. I got to attend each and every event that took place throughout the festival and report live from each one I covered MFI fashion Show, Young designer of the year and also The creative quarter fashion show just to name a few, I also got to met some amazing people throughout the festival such as Glenda Gilson,Suzanne Jackson, Rosie Connolly and Joanne Larby who have been idols of mine for quite a while, so been at the same events as them was extremely overwhelming.

I have learned so much about the Media/ fashion industry over the past few weeks, keep in mind I didn’t go to college so I don’t have a degree in anything so basically  I was thrown head first in the deep end, I had to interview people, stop people on the street for street style looks and also I had to do on the spot  Video promo work for both frockadvisor and Galaxy which is something I thought I would never be able to do but suprisingly I loved every single minute of it and it was the best way to learn about the industry.

Not alone was it my first time doing anything of sort but also it was my first time properly away from home on my own. I had never stayed in a hotel on my own, never been on public transport on my own and never walked a street in Dublin on my own- I used to stay within in my comfort zone ! I am so glad that I was given the opporutunity to beome the reporter for Dublin Fashion Fetsival as if I hadn’t been given the opportunity I would still be stuck in my little comfort zone at home in Cahir Co.Tipperary. and I would have never been fortunate enough to get the opportunities I have gotten over the past few weeks. 

 All because I took 21 seconds out of my day to make the video I have now experience in the fashion/media industry, I have a slot on my local radio station very Tuesday afternoon with Owen Lonergan, I have written my very first article for Stellar magazine, I've been contacted by several companies to do collaborations and I have also been offered my very first job which is a real bonus.There is so much happening for me right now and I honestly couldn’t be more grateful. To be honest I haven't even had time to sit down and let it all sink in, its still so surreal I never ever thought that I would be where I am today so early in my career, and its just the beginning. I have another very exciting week ahead of me including  a trip to the ploughing with Tipp FM and a trip back up to Dublin to finalise something very exciting. That's all for now but stay tuned as I will be announcing what I'm up to in Dublin During the week.
Until Then.

Much Love,
Caoimhe x 

Uriage Skincare Saviours

The last few weeks I have literally been on the go 24/7 which I won't complain about, the only downside to being so busy is that my skin is suffering the consequences. I have had to attended events and meetings 2-3 days a week so obviously I've been wearing make up a lot more often than usual. I have always been extremely lucky with my skin and rarely get spots, generally the only place I would get spots would be my chin and if you use the face map, Chin spots are linked to hormones which makes a whole lot of sense as us poor ladies have hormones all over the place each month, and also for me my chin is the most oiliest part of my face, everywhere else is dry to normal.

I had spent quite a lot of time looking into skincare ranges that wouldn't be too harsh on my skin as apart from having dry skin I also have quite sensitive skin which really doesn't help the situation as I have to be so careful when choosing skincare/products. I had heard about the French Brand Uriage which is a Range that offers products for people who suffer with sensitive skin and was blessed when I realised that a local pharmacy @McCormack Clonmel stocked it in their store.

What is Uriage? Uriage is a skincare brand that develops its products in cooperation with dermatologists and pharmacists from all over the world, ultimately producing products that are hypoallergenic, free of parabens and meet the demands of strict pharmaceutical criteria hence why they are perfectly suitable for those who suffer from even the most sensitive skin as all of Uriage products are produced from the waters of the magnificent Alps!

I headed into McCormack's Pharmacy in clonmel just a little over two weeks ago to get my hands on some of the products so that I could sort my skin out Asap! The staff in McCormack's were extremely generous and gave me testers of their most popular products from the Uriage range. So here's my top 3 favourite products from the range.

1.Uraige AquaPrécis Hydration Dynamique.

This product is so good for people who suffer with dry skin like myself, and it also has two purposes. It can be used as a moisturiser/ cleanser and also it can be used as a base for your foundation as its hydrates the skin so it will give a fab dewy finish, which can be a difficult look to achieve when you have dry skin. It also contains SPF 20 which is a massive bonus as your skin is been protected by it also. Overall this product restores/rejuvenates the original balance of the skin so basically its like giving yourself a Facial every time you use it as your complexion is bright, the skin is protected, and your left with a healthy glow.

2. Uriage Xémose Cream

This Cream is amazing, I wanted to talk about this cream as its not just for your face, it can be used on any part of your body. Recently I have started getting little dry patches, on the inner side of my elbows and just on my collarbones which I find really strange, I tried a rake of moisturisers and the dryness didn't budge but this cream came to the rescue and solved the problem after a few days purely because its Hypoallergenic ,Non-comedogenic, Fragrance-free, and also it contains both Uriage Thermal water Patented  Cerasterol-2F complex which is why its so effective at reinforcing the skins barrier and keeping your skin feeling super soft. I would recommend this product to any one who suffers with skin conditions such as eczema.

3. Uriage Hyséac SOS Paste

I saved the best until last, This product has become my Best Friend, No joke I even took a trip back into McCormack's during the week to stock up on it before it sold out! It literally does what it says on the box,  I have made my own punch line for SOS and I have renamed it the S-Save O-Our S-Skin paste! I had 3 massive spots on my chin last week and I was so conscious of them as I had to Interview celebs for Dublin fashion week and obviously I didn't want to be conscious of them I popped on the Paste over night and bin the space of 8-9 hours the spot had reduced in size, I continued to use the paste for 3-4 days and you honestly wouldn't think I ever had a mark on my chin. All I have left to say for this product is get yourself into McCormack's Pharmacy ASAP.

I honestly couldn't recommend  Uriage skincare enough, I have finally found my go to skincare range after years of searching with thanks to McCormack's Pharmacy in clonmel , you can take a look at their Facebook page by clicking on this link --->McCormack's Clonmel as they have the whole Uriage range in store and also they have some great "Fab Fridays" offers and lots lots more. I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, I have a pretty exciting few weeks ahead of me so stay tuned for more updates. Until Next Time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe xx

From ConfiDental To Confident

I have been bursting to tell you all about my trip to ConfiDental on Tuesday morning but I wanted to wait until I had the time to share every single detail with you. I posted a little sneak peek on Tuesday evening because I literally couldn’t wait. I was just so excited about my new smile. During my early teenage years when I was in and out of hospital I was so caught up with everything that I didn’t give my teeth the care that they needed, which I am still kicking myself for to date so as you can imagine as a result of neglecting my teeth I became so self-conscious! Apart from the fact that I didn’t look after my teeth I also had a massive fear of the dentist, and I honestly blame my fear of going to the dentist on the clinic that I attended when I was in primary school, I still have nightmares!!

Since winning the competition as a Fashion Reporter for Dublin Fashion Festival my teeth were on my mind 24/7 and it was preventing me from really looking forward to the Festival as all that was going through my head was “how will I be able to interview anyone with teeth like this”? Or “how will I be able to smile for photos” ? I know that it’s a first world problem but to me it was like the end of the world. This was the perfect opportunity for me to face my fear and treat myself to something that I have always wanted, which for me ,was to have nice teeth, as it’s the first thing I notice about someone.

I rang ConfiDental,at Castle Street in Cahir, on Monday afternoon, and they slotted me in for a Consultation on Tuesday morning at 10am.  I can barely remember walking in the door I was so nervous! Dr.Ryan Hennessy – who is the  Dentist and owner of ConfiDental told me what I needed to do with my teeth, in order to get them sorted in time for Dublin Fashion Festival. My first task ahead of the Dublin Fashion Festival was,to travel to Dublin on  Wednesday,( the day after my consultation) where I would be getting photos taken and  promo vidoes for the upcoming event.. I was expecting it to be 2-3 months before my teeth would be sorted but Ryan gave up his time off and fit me in for a later time Tuesday morning so that I would be happy with my teeth for Dublin which I can't thank him enough for.

My heart was literally pumping out of my chest when I sat down on the chair before he started the procedure, but 10 minutes into it I was extremely relaxed- Dentist and Relaxed were two words I honestly thought I would never put in the same sentence but after my experience in ConfiDental I am honestly a new woman. The only reason I wanted to get up off the chair throughout the appointment was to see the results and I’m not messing I was overwhelmed with the finished result other than that,  I was so relaxed which was really surprising as I contemplated running back down the stairs when I arrived first!!

 I have been asked did I get veneers by so many people since last Tuesday which is crazy. So here's what I actually got done and I don't think you'll believe me when you see the before and after photos.  Dr.Ryan Hennessy and his lovely assistant Danielle began my treatment by polishing my teeth, removing any stains visible before he worked on my front teeth which was where most of the damage was situated, over time a gap had formed in the back of my two front teeth and it discoloured causing me to have a dark staining which was HORRIFIC when I opened my mouth but Ryan saved the day and he filled in the damaged gap using a white filling.  I honestly never smiled because I was so embarrassed.  Ryan talked me through every single step of my treatment which made me so calm as I knew what to expect each time.  There’s nothing worse than having loads of metal tools in your mouth and not having a clue as to what’s going on!!

I was in two minds as to whether or not I'd share my before photo with all of you as I was so embarrassed when I had seen it but I really wanted to show you how much of a difference 45 minutes can make when you are left in the hands of a wonderful professional.  No word of a lie,  my treatment began at 12:00 and I was back in my house at 12:45 and here’s the difference.

My smile is still not perfect I have another few fix ups to do, and also I will be returning to Confidental to get my teeth whitened in the coming weeks so I can’t wait to share that experience with all of you. I would highly recommend anyone who was in my position and was 1. Petrified of the Dentist and 2. Extremely conscious of their teeth, to just bite the bullet and ring ConfiDental as soon as possible. I am gutted that I didn’t do it sooner as I would have been so much more confident than I was for the past few years.   As you can tell by this picture of me at my first meeting for Dublin Fashion Festival,  I am smiling from ear to ear in this photo to show of my new smile.

I never thought I’d see the day that I would look forward to returning to the Dentist for my next appointment. You can find ConfiDental on Facebook by clicking on this link -->ConfiDental you can also contact them on 052 7441111. I can assure you that you won't be disappointed. That’s all for now I hope you enjoyed this week’s blog post. Until next time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe  x

My Top 3 Snapchatters..

Am I the only one who waits to watch  my favourite Snapchatter's stories until I'm all comfy and chilled out in bed? It's become a ritual for me at this stage, it's my way of winding down before going to sleep. People often ask me who inspires me and who do I look up to in the world of blogging So I've decided to let you in on my top 3 Favourite Snaphcatters some of them you may know and also some you may not know.

1.Pippa O Connor (Pippa.oconnor)

Do I even have to explain myself when it comes to  why Pippa O'Connor is one of my favourite snaphcatters? I watch Pippa's Snapchat stories religiously each night, you can tell that she is extremely down to earth and such a lovely person in general.  Pippa documents her daily life activities from work, fashion, beauty, and she also includes her two beautiful sons Ollie and newly born Louis.

2. Lisa Jordan  (Justjordanblog)
Lisa Jordan is a fashion and image consultant and also a professional Make-up Artist who works with MAC in Brown Thomas, Cork city. She always gives 100% honest opinion on products that she uses by telling everyone the pro's and cons of the products before you run to the shop to buy it which I think is extremely helpful. Lisa also buys a lot of her clothes in Penney's and does regular Penney's haul's so it;s great to be able to Steal her Style and get some style Inspo.

3. James Butler (Jamespatrice)

What can I say, this man will actually have you on the verge of wetting yourself. He has to be one of the funniest people around!. I have followed on him on Snapchat for months now and I have yet to be disappointed with his daily updates which include the famous Fron (his mother)..I have been a massive fan of James since day 1 and  I attended his Masterclass in The Dean Hotel in Dublin in July and I can assure you he is  exactly the same behind the camera as he is in real life. He is an absolute gent. I would definitely recommend you to go and follow him on Snapchat as you definitely wont be disappointed.!

If you haven't seen on my Facebook page already I have also set up my very own Snapchat account for my blog you can find me at "itsallaboutm.e" or you can scan my Snapcode in the picture below.

I am extremely busy at the minute with lots of amazing opportunities in the pipeline so that's why this weeks  blog post was a little different to recent posts, and also I'm prepping for Dublin Fashion Festival, so I will be back to my normal Blog posts next week. I hope you enjoyed this weeks short and sweet blog post That's all for now. Until Next Time.

Much Love,

Caoimhe x