You & Me Ampersand Wedding Necklace

Typography is one of those things that gets me very excited - along with stationery of any sort. I think there's a graphic designer desperate to get out of me....just one without any particular talent! It also means that I'm a magpie for anything ampersand shaped....so when I spotted this you & me necklace on Tom Design, an Etsy boutique, I knew I had to share it with you. Wouldn't it be a gorgeous piece to wear on your wedding day? Available in silver, and bracelets, they starts at £15. You can also buy single letters, if you want a few for bridesmaids presents!

{I want this!} Ampersand & Initial necklace, £15 from Tom Design

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Men May Come And Go But Lipstick Is Forever

Thats just one of the girlie quotes dotted around the walls of the Benefit Dublin store. I popped in to see the shop last Thursday, just before the So Sue Me book launch which you can read about here, almost a week after it opened its doors. It almost immediately became my new favorite make-up and beauty spot in the big smoke. The shop is so pink and girlie and inviting and the staff are so welcoming and bubbly and happy. It really is a fun relaxing environment unlike some other cosmetic shops who take themselves far too seriously and almost make you tense up as soon as you enter, Benefit will brighten up your day and your face if you wish!

I was greeted by Jessica when I went into the shop and it wasn’t long before I was in the chair and she was introducing me to some new products and chatting to me about the new shop and blogging. I decided half way through my mini make over that I would get my brows shaped. I usually do them myself but have gotten very lazy lately so they were a disgrace! I learned how to do them myself from the one and only Kandee Johnson on her You Tube channel here. For quite a long time now the girls at the Benefit Brow Bar have been the only ones I will let near my brows, they really do give the best shape and their wax doesn’t pull the skin. So Jessica handed me over to Jenny, and ladies if your popping in to get your brows done request her, she is great! Plus they have a great rewards system if you make it your go to brow bar with free treatments and upgrades on your loyalty card! Now you can't argue with that.

After Jenny had waxed and trimmed my brows into pure perfection she took me on a tour of the shop. We had a great chat and a giggle and I fell more in love with the place with every corner I turned. It is just so pink! Pink and yellow and white, some candy striping and florals just to amp up the girliness! With cute quotes and Benefit pinups framed and dotted around the walls. There are even some huge chandeliers to add some old school Hollywood glamour. 

The Blowout Bar

The Nail Bar

Door to the Tanning Booth

The Waxing Room

While we were walking around and I was getting snap happy Jenny told me the quirky story of how Benefit began. Twin sisters from San Francisco Jean and Jane literally flipped a coin between baking and making make-up, which would explain the adorable cake shop inspired packaging. In 1977 an exotic dancer requested a stain to make her nipples appear darker and pink et voila Benetint was born! And the rest as the say is history. They even have a small history chart in the Benefit store...

So after my tour I went back to Jessica to patch up my make-up and cover my reddish brows. She was great! Its no wonder I look so fresh faced in those So Sue Me press photo’s its all down to Jessica! 

There you have it. Next time you’re in town pop in for a visit. One of their motto’s is “Laughter is the best cosmetic, so grin and wear it!” and you are bound to walk out of here with a huge smile on your face.... 

Afterall your never fully dressed without a smile!

Vail Photographer - Sheeran Family Photos in Beaver Creek, Colorado

You often hear photographers talk about the magic hour for lighting.  It's the last hour of good light in the day before it starts to get dark. It's called the magic hour because it produces the most flattering light on your subjects without the harsh shadows that appear when the sun is directly overhead.  The only issue is that this is also the time of day that kids are starting to wind down.  They're tired and often pretty hungry.  What's the solution?  Gorgeous girly tutus, promises of pizza for dinner and the assurance that we'll get the photos as fast as possible!

Having a good location also helped to keep my photo session with the Sheeran's on track.  We shot in a meadow in Beaver Creek and stopped a couple of times on the drive down to the base.  The old barn outside The Mirabelle was a great backdrop to finish the session with.

Bridget (pink tutu) is one of Maxwell's little buddies.  She was very confused about me being there without him.  My highlight of their session was Bridget asking me where 'Maskwell' was.  So cute!

In other news, I'm happy to announce that my new logo is complete and should be up and running shortly.  I'm about to embark on setting up my new website, so keep an eye out for White Starfish's new face lift!

To see more Vail Family Photos, click here.

Blissful Glamorous Beach Wedding at the Four Seasons - Part 2

With a stunning beachside ceremony, and an incredible reception at The Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia, this was never going to be an ordinary wedding. Kimberlee and Chris chose Malaysia, as it's half-way between their two families {Australia and the UK}, plus it's breathtakingly beautiful. I'm completely obsessed with the amazing venue, and stylish touches added by the bride and groom. Stealworthy ideas include Kimberlee's simple but chic rose bouquet, her bridesmaids' neutral gowns, the boys' fabulous Next suits {steal!}, and the cute lego wedding cake toppers. Kimberlee and Chris also created a 'Get to Know The Guest List' booklet, to encourage their friends and family to get talking - such a good idea! Enjoy all of Kimberlee's fab advice - as an events planner, she's something of an expert on these things - and of course, Ruby Yeo Photography and Christine Lim's incredible wedding pictures.

We celebrated our wedding on 15th March 2013 at The Four Seasons Langkawi in Malaysia. With me being from Australia and with Chris being from London, we had always discussed a wedding abroad. We decided on Malaysia as it was the perfect half-way point for both families, and because it is breathtakingly beautiful. 

I plan events every day for my job with Chillisauce, but even so, I really enjoyed planning my wedding. It's totally different when it's your own day, and it brought Chris and myself closer together. It was a huge task researching a destination wedding but totally worth it. I wouldn't change a thing. 

We didn't really have any DIY projects - we came up with the idea of having individual keys for each guest, that unlocked a small box at their seat. Also we created a 'Get to Know The Guest List’ page on each table, with funny anecdotes and introductions everyone who attended the wedding. 

Travel was also a key theme at the wedding which we tied in at the reception; we found all our little decorations and stationary on Amazon and had them shipped over a few weeks before. The temperatures in Malaysia in spring are so hot we opted for boiled sweets rather than chocolate favours, which we also ordered from a small supplier on Amazon.

My advice for brides, would be let your man get involved too. It doesn't have to be something stressful - just something to which you can both contribute. Mood boards are your key to wedding success, especially if you are planning a destination wedding. We could show the wedding planner exactly what we wanted without needing to be there. 

The Four Seasons catered the food and drinks at our wedding. We chose a luxurious BBQ buffet of chicken, lobster and steak {that guests could have freshly prepared on request}, and an open bar. 

The wedding planner at The Four Seasons was a great help and they catered for the cake. We decided on a one-tiered, simple ivory cake, decorated with dusky pink and ivory roses. As we were so far from home, it seemed silly to buy a huge cake that we knew wouldn't get eaten.

We didn't have to worry about a wedding florist, because The Four Seasons took care of everything. We had to have the specific colour rose shipped in especially, as the island is so small. 

When it came to choosing our wedding photographer, we researched for a long time, before we came across Ruby Yeo Photography. Her previous work was so amazing that we had to have her! Chris owns his own photography business - Chris Perry Photography - so selecting our wedding photographer was one of the most important things in our wedding planning.

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Kraziness At The ShutterBug Kilo Sale

Blaithnaid Hennessy and her vintage shop Shutterbug have both become infamous along with her online shop Folkster. After features on TV3’s Xposé, Ireland Am and in magazines like Tatler, U and Stellar there isn’t a single fashionista on the Emerald Isle that hasn’t heard of this treasure trove not so hidden away in fabulous Kilkenny (I love that city, so diverse and relaxed, its a great place). 

Well just as infamous as the shop and its unbelievably stylish owner is the Shutterbug Kilo Sale. They may be used to buying vintage by the kilo on the continent but Ms Hennessy runs the only one of its kind in our wee country. Held every few months in Dublin or Kilkenny it attracts droves of thrifty fashion fiends, male and female, young and old. The principle is simple, items aren’t individually priced instead there are weighing scales at the checkout, your clothes are weighed and you pay €20 per kilo. Bargain! So long as you don’t get carried away with heavy items. 

I first went to the kilo sale this summer past in Moxie Studios in Dublin. It was pure bedlam, and a bit of a shock to the system! There were so many people there that at times it was almost impossible to even turn around never mind look through one of the almost 70 rails! I got some great pieces though, three shirts, a bodysuit, one pair of trousers and a leather jumper for €24! So when I heard about the next one in Kilkenny, the calling of a vintage bargain and the chance to visit one of my favorite places was too much to turn down!

So myself my aunt and my cousin (they love a good bargain hunt as much as I do!) set off from the hills of Monaghan bright and breezy and got to Langtons Hotel in Kilkenny just after 10am. The crowd was huge, maybe not by the standards of the Dublin kilo sale but the queue was taking over the hotel and when the doors opened at 11 all hell broke loose! It was every man/woman for themselves as we battled our way from rail to rail. I got the biggest bag of shirts for €22!! 

After the bedlam of the kilo sale I had a good nose around the Folkster pop up shop at the entrance. They had some of the most amazing fur coats and the Jeffrey Campbells and Miista shoes were literally to die for. The selection of shearlings, hats, glasses and jewelry, were out of this world and with A/W 13 pieces from labels like Sister Jane and Unif I could have very happily spent a few hours and a LOT of money in that small room. Unfortunately the purse strings are pretty stretched lately so I bought a ring, fabulous Dame Edna-esque glasses and my cousin treated me to a black turban for being the driver for the day.

So heres a peek at what I bought, they are sure to be featured in some outfit posts in the near future...

And here are some of the amazingly stylish ladies from Shutterbug. If your looking for style inspiration, look no further! Hopefully I’ll see you at the next kilo sale...

Zee xxx