Festival Survival Guide

It's that time of year again. FESTIVAL TIME! With Indiependence in Cork and Oxegen in Punchetstown, both kicking off next weekend, Tennents Vital, Co.Antrim on August 15th, and Electric Picnic starting on the 30th of August, we're certainly spoiled for choice.

Check out a full line-up of all the festivals happening around Ireland this summer here! 

I'm heading to Electric Picnic this summer, to loose my festival virginity. 

So I've decided to give you a breakdown of what I'll be packing to survive the wet, dry, sunny, snowy, hot, cold, mucky weekend!

➾ Tent

➾ Sleeping Bag

➾ Extra Blankets

➾ Folding Chairs

➾ Toilet Paper

➾ Towels

➾ Cooler Box

➾ Bottles of Water

➾ Hand Sanitizer

➾ Deoderant 

➾ Body Spray

➾ Plastic Cups

➾ Straws

➾ FOOD

➾ Beverage of Preference

➾ Dry Shampoo

➾ Face Wipes

➾ Tooth Paste

➾ Plasters

➾ Sun Cream

➾ Tinted Moisturiser 

➾ Mascara

➾ Hair Brush

➾ Wellies

➾ Rain Coat

➾ Deck of Cards 

➾ Lighters

This is a provisional list, as I'll probably realise when I get there that I've forgotten the most important bits and bobs.

Here, are some of the things on my festival wishlist:

  

 

 

 

Consistency

Now that my blog is actually looking like a real blog, and people seem to be reading it, I've decided to make it more consistent. From now on, you can expect posts every wednesday, at the very least. 

Here's what you can look forward to on fiona'sfashionireland:

✏ Outfit of the Week
✏ Style Crush of the Month
✏ Pick of the Month, including new TV series, movies, products etc.
✏ Top Tips
✏ Street Style
✏ Celebrity Gossip - Juice of the Week
✏ Interviews
✏ Wish Lists
✏ DIY
✏ Reviews, for example salons, restaurants, nail bars, nightclubs etc.
✏ Recipies, some healthy, some not so healthy!

After that, some general stuff about what I've been up to.

Hope you're excited as I am. Watch this space :)

My saving grace

Tangle Teezers, available in all good salons, Boots, and I'm sure many other good chemists, are my new saving grace!

As I have quite thick, frazzled hair, and once heard two hairdressers arguing over who was going to dry my hair, you can imagine it can be a nightmare to maintain. 

Well not anymore!

For just €15, say goodbye to pep-talking yourself into brushing your hair!

Gelish Nails

So before I headed off to Portugal, I got my nails done in the fabulous Tropical Popical, South William Street, Dublin. As I'm sure you know, you can work wonders with nails these days, from animal print, to disney characters; virtually anything! 

I opted for the new craze, which is taking the nail world by storm, Gelish.

Gelish is a new soak off nail varnish, which lasts for three weeks and promises no chipping or peeling. 

Feeling summery, I opted for this fabulous peachy colour. 

I hate to say it, but I was disappointed with the results. While I understand that it was an active holiday, plenty of swimming...and drinking...I was still promised 3 weeks. I got about a week and a half before my right index started to peal.

I tried not to peal or pick at them as I was warned not to, however by week two, I couldn't help myself as more started to chip and peal.

I find that when you're in the sun, your nails start to grow much faster as well, which makes it look as though you havn't pushed back your cuticles. 

I think in future I'll be opting for trusty shellac!

Keep calm and have a Bifana!

Where do I even begin to explain the last two weeks of my life? It genuinely took me a few days to bring myself to write this post, as I was that depressed to be home. However at least I brought the weather with me!

While I had never actually heard of Albufeira before, I couldn't recommend it highly enough. The apartments we stayed in, Jeanelas Do Mar, were fab. We were more than impressed with the size of the apartments considering how cheap they were. They're also within walking distance of the strip, and only a €5 taxi into the Old Town.

I was majorly surprised by the amount of Irish people over there, especially working, for example touting and doing PR for different events. Even the English gave out about the amount of us there!

I made memories I'll never forget, and friends for life.

Here are a few tips I picked up along the way:

★ Don't fall asleep with sungalsses on
★ If drinking absenth, make sure you have something to wash it down with, (preferably not sambucca)
★ Don't go on bar crawls, they cost a fortune, when you can just follow them anyway
★ Pre-Drink as many nights as you can. The drinks abroad may look like bigger measures, but you might as well be drinking overpriced holy water!
★ No matter what time you get home from a night out, force yourself to get up and lie in the sun. Try not sleep all day, drink all night. Just don't sleep at all!
★ Go to a foam party
★ Sprinklers are a lot wetter than they look
★ When dancing, give it socks!
★ Hash browns, although difficult to find, are an excellent hangover cure
★ For free shots, put your head on the bar and open your mouth
★ There are snakes in Portugal, to avoid getting eaten, wear bangles and make plenty of noise
★ Regret nothing.

I really can't sum it up, so here are a few snaps :)

                                                         

 

 

 

P.S This is a Bifana. It will change your life.

Style Crush of the Month: Ashley Madekwe

Ashley Madekwe plays fiesty PA and social climber Ashley Davenport in the ABC hit series Revenge. 

The beauty was bron in London and studied acting at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. 

Ashley is also a fellow fashion blogger, 'Ring My Bell' which has featured in magazines such as Look, Grazia and Heat to name but a few.

She describes herself as "A London girl, living in LA with more shoes than sense".

Ashley has starred alongside Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor, and I for one am predicting big things for the actress.

It's safe to say, I'm a little jealous!

  

 

Summer Reads

I've never been one for reading, in fact, holidays are pretty much the only time of year I do read. Year after year I arrive home and say "I read this really good book on holidays. I'm definitely going to start reading more." Do I? No.

I love reading books that I can relate to, so some of my favourite books are by Marian Keys. Her books are mostly set in Dublin, and based on characters that I genuinely have in my life! 

Last year I read The Brightest Star in the Sky. "Welcome to 66 Star Street..." The plot follows Katie, 40, a live music exec, who spends her time wondering how much cheesecake you would need to eat until you died. 

Below her, sharp-tounged, quick witted Lydia, whose more than spikey exterior hides some unexpected soft spots. 

On the first floor is Fionn, the hunky gardner. 

And finally, at the bottom of the house, live Maeve and Matt, love's young dream who stave off despair by embarking on random acts of kindness.

But a mysterious visitor has just landed at 66 Star Street, and while old secrets are working their way to the surface, with them brings love, tragedy and unexpected optimism, which changes everything.

This book will have you laughing, crying, and living life as though the characters are close friends.

Two other favourites of mine are This Charming Man and the blockbuster Watermelon.

Happy Reading!