Christmas Gift Ideas


Can you believe it's December 18th already? This post is going to feature a lot of my favourite brands this year that I think would make perfect last minute Christmas gifts. 

1. Shadow Switch Brush Cleaner 
This beauty tool was created as a dry brush cleaner, aimed at cleaning and getting rid of product on your brushes so you can "switch" up colours and shades. Basically, it comes in a compact tin and it includes a wire sponge inside. All you do is take your brush and swirl in a circular motion until all traces of colour has gone. And then your ready to go onto the next shade! I've been using this for the past 2 months and it's saved me so much time in the mornings going to college. Retailing at just £6 on Amazon here, I feel it would make a perfect stocking or Kris Kindle present. 

The AM | PM Routine Tag


I saw this tag floating around and as I've had my blog for over 3 months now I thought it was time to do another personal tag.
AM
What is your morning routine?  
I'll usually get up on the second ring of my alarm. I am not a snooze person. I'll let Atticus outside (he's our cat not a person we are keeping hostage) and then make some coffee. I'll drink at my desk while on Twitter or responding to emails. Then I'll head in the shower.

What's for breakfast?
Coffee. That's it. Ever since I started secondary school almost 6 years ago I physically cannot eat breakfast. I don't usually crave anything until around 10am. 

Stationary Haul

Women need men to feel successful and empowered.
Global warming is a lie.
I am obsessed with stationary.

One of these above statements is true. Did you guess right? Yes, I am completely and utterly obsessed with stationary. You may even go as far as saying stationary shopping is my favourite type of shopping. 

I have a myriad of stationary in this haul; some quite expensive and others reasonably priced.

Review: Crystal Bar Soap

This post is probably my favourite one I've ever written so far but also the hardest because there is simply so much to talk about.
Crystal Bar Soap are a cruelty-free and vegan brand from Canada that specialises in crafting soaps and bath bombs. What makes this brand so unique is that each product, whether it's a soap or bomb, contains a handpicked crystal inside.  Each product has a recipe that compliments the crystal embedded within, which will be revealed after using it.

End Of Summer Lookbook




The evenings are starting to get darker, pumpkin spice lattes are back and tinges of orange and brown will soon adorn the streets. It can only mean one thing: summer is ending and autumn is here.
Autumn has probably been my favourite season as far back as I can remember. I can put away the shorts and t-shirts that show off how irrevocably pale I am and start wearing my favourite thing, layers.

I have teamed up with Froccupy on Looks Number 1 and 3. Froccupy are an affordable Irish fashion brand and I was so excited when they gifted me these items from their new collection. If you are interested in purchasing any of the items below or anything else, you can use the code "MAPETITE20" which will give you 20% off anything on their site! Shop online here

Getting Organised With Toad Diaries


Staying organised was once one of my best attributes. But that all changed when I started this blog. I was uploading sporadically and had no set day to shoot photos or to respond to emails. And then came along this. As much as I enjoy using my iPhone to store my To-Do lists, nothing beats good old pen and paper. And so fortunately, when Toad Diaries offered me to sample their new journal made personally for bloggers, I was so excited.

August Favourites


It feels like just yesterday I was scheduling my July Favourites and now here I am with another one. 
As summer is quickly drawing to a close and I have to consider the reality of starting college I have been trying to prepare myself with a plethora of items.

The Fear Of Failure


Failure - an act or instance of failing or proving unsuccessful

If there's something about me that defines me in my entirety, it's the fact that I am a complete and utter perfectionist.

The Aftermath Of The Leaving Cert



The Leaving Cert; Ireland's ultimate memory test.
If you're not Irish, the Leaving Cert is the set of exams we take after six years in secondary school and will basically determine or not whether we get into college.
After years of watching the news and Facebook statuses pop up on my screen with people sharing their results and college acceptances, it was finally my time.
I'm a bit disillusioned with the whole Leaving Cert even though I got good grades, or perhaps because I got good grades. The whole thing just consisted of massive amounts of rote learning and more rote learning. I even found myself having to take days off from exhaustion throughout the year because of the immense pressure I put on myself.

Review: For All My Eternity Coffee Scrubs



When the lovely people at For All My Eternity sent me this scrub to try I was so excited. The scrubs are 100% natural and use organic and fair trade coffee. So not only is it good for your skin, it's good for the growers too. The most important thing for me is that this brand is also cruelty-free. 

WIhen I opened the packet I was instantly hit with the overwhelmingly smell of, well, coffee. The first time I used it was in the morning and the scent woke me up so much that probably I didn't even need my morning cup of caffeine. The scrub has a very earthy smell to it which is a reminder that there isn't any harsh chemicals in it.

My Week In Pictures #2

A busy week it has been. We found ourselves with a stray cat which I have named Atticus, I bought a rather large box of cherries and I finally received my Leaving Cert results ( a separate post to follow soon on the aftermath of that)

I Am A Feminist


                           
I am a feminist. 

Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes.

When you choose to identify with a label, that label is more than likely going to come with a list of negative misconceptions and preconceptions that society has built up. 

I am a feminist but I don't hate men. Yes, I have male friends. I am a feminist and I believe in the equality for both men and women. And equality between masculinity and femininity. I am a feminist but I don't believe that women are better than men. (Misconception number 1: Feminists hate men. Being a feminist does not mean you hate men or believe women are better than men)

Let's talk about misandry for a minute. Misandry and feminism are two very separate things. Misandrists have an ingrained hatred for men and want to be above men. They are not feminists. 

I am a feminist because in 32 states if a woman has a child as a result of rape, the rapist can sue for custody and visitation rights of that child. 

A Letter To My Teenage Self




Dear teenage me,

Fourteen is an age where you think you are beginning to understand life. You don’t. In 5 years time, you still won’t.
Right now you've just finished the Junior Cert, and don't worry, you did achieve that A in English, despite having the worst teacher in the universe. You are now transitioning into the Leaving Cert and you will find a love for French and for learning about the world around you. Soon you will become this open minded culturally aware person that you can be proud of today.

Favourite Books




I couldn't reach blog post no.4 without dedicating one to books now could I? In this post I want to discuss 5 of my favourite non politcal books, some of all time, some just recents.

1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
If you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I tweet about this book annoyingly a lot. I first found out about this book in 2014 after watching 10 things I Hate About Youand witnessing Kat reading the Bell Jar. The next day I picked it up from the library and fast forward 24 months and it's become one of my favourite books of all time. 
This book is a sort of autobiography for Sylvia Plath. Full of dark humour, wit and feministic views, it tells the tale of a summer writing in New York and then coping with life after that. Without spoiling it, ultimately Plath writes about her descent of depression and her deep traumatic battles with suicide, When I first started reading the book I was uneasy, feeling it was an extremely pretentious novel. Her descriptions were extremely detailed, often using words that one rarely hears spoken or even read. I went into the novel knowing from my Leaving Cert course that Plath was a poet and felt that at first the book was just another form of her poetry. But that only remained within the first two pages, because after that I became absorbed. Sometimes, once in a long while, a book comes around, with words so cogitative that they bounce off the pages and hit me with pangs of echoing familiarity.
And that, The Bell Jar does. Numerous times. And it's scary that I'm relating to a potential depressional and suicidal victim. 
If it's one book you want to read after taking into account this list, it should be this one.

You can purchase this book here

Get To Know Me


25 things about myself


I decided to answer these questions this morning as I realised in my last post I didn't really introduce myself properly (and honestly because I'm bored watching season 3 of Criminal Minds again) Anyway here's me and 25 things about myself. I wanted to introduce myself a bit more as a person and bring you all a little bit into my world. Not that my world is better than yours. You'll probably get bored after the third question so congratulations if you make it to number 25.



1. What is your middle name?
Maria. Pretty generic girl's middle name. I chose Grace as my confirmation name.

2. What was your favourite subject at school?
French or English. Also Business to a certain extent. 

3. What is the last thing you bought?
Some white paint for my room and a book titled 'The Existentialist Cafe'. 

4. Favourite book of all time?
I have read so many books in so many different genres but probably The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

Travel Diary


Cala Millor 


I solemnly swear I did not live in this blue and white jumpsuit

Cala Millor is one of those gorgeous little resorts that you will have seen in picture perfect photographs. Pastel shades overlook the bluest of blue seas and the white of the sands is so aesthetically pleasing even whilst burning your feet. (Do not forget to wear shoes on the beach kids) You could easily spend
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