Amsterdam Pt.1 xo

"All her would- haves are our opportunities" 
-Emma Thompson, speaking at the Anne Frank House.

Hey Hey Hey! Long time, no chit chat! Well I'm finally back with another post and this ones going to be a travel diary on the city who captured my heart in simply a mere few hours... Amsterdam!

Three weeks ago my sister and I hopped on a plane and flew away to Amsterdam for 5 days, courtesy of Mama and Papa bear. 

Our first stop of course, being the history fanatics that we are, was the Anne Frank House. Ever since I was in primary school and first heard her story, it's always been somewhere I wanted to visit. Of this, I do not have photographs, despite photography not being allowed it also did not feel right. I can't quite describe to you the feeling of being there in the Annexe, where Anne and 8 others lived in hiding for two years. It was a surreal and almost eerie feeling. The room in which she slept is the one that made the impression on me. The wall was still covered with the pictures of famous stars that she had pasted there too make it more homely. After all, at the end of the day Anne was just a girl. A teenage girl who longed for the outside world dreamed of the future and what it would hold when the war was finally over. It was one of the highlights of my visit and recommend it to anyone visiting Amsterdam, regardless of whether or not history is of interest to you.

That evening we decided to take things easy and took an open top canal cruise to get a different perspective of the city and also experience the famous Amsterdam Light Festival. It was cold and a bit wet but it was still a fab end to the first day. To see art portrayed through way of light and understand the artists vision so clearly was quite interesting. 

Beautiful Amsterdam lit up brightly.

The next day we headed out bright and early to see the Artis Zoo. After a quick pitstop at the cosy Cafe Koosje for fresh croissants and hot chocolate, we headed on our way. Artis Zoo is the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, and let me tell you now, I can see why it's been open so long. It was beautiful and natural. Yet perfectly landscaped and open. 

One of the highlights at the zoo for me was the seal tank. The way they glide through the way was powerful, yet effortless and truly graceful. They were incredibly mesmerising to watch and I had to eventually be coaxed away by my sister I could've watched them for hours.

That moment when...

Later on that afternoon we headed back into Central Amsterdam where we took a trip to the Amsterdam Dungeons and Madame Tussaud's where I clearly was having too much fun lol! Head over to my Insta page for more pics on the museum and what we got up to.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BeNruuEnMTs/?taken-by=missjodette_

Until Pt.2, I will leave you with thus parting gift. A little something to make you giggle and realise, if you didn't already before, I have no shame! 

MissJ xxx

3 Quick and Easy Festive Treats

Have you friends coming over for a Christmas movie marathon? Or is it cold and wet outside and you've nothing planned for the day? Well fear not, I've got you covered with this blogpost ;) Here's 3 quick and easy festive treats that you can whip up in minutes and they taste as good as they look, trust me!

Treat No.1- Melted Snowmen Delights

You will need: Large Marshmallows, Black Icing, Icing Sugar, Orange Icing and Plain Digestive Biscuits.

1. Take your icing sugar and mix with desired amount of water adding the water slowly and mixing well in between. 

2. Smear icing on the digestive biscuits to make a 'blob' shape. This creates the melted snowman.

3. Place large marshmallows on top while the icing is still wet. Then repeat as many times as you like to make several snowmen. 

4. Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes until the icing is hard. 

5. Using the black icing, create eyes and a mouth on the marshmallow followed by 4 buttons and arms on the 'blob' of icing on the biscuit. 

6. TASTE TEST!! 

Treat No. 2- Festive Hot Chocolate

You will need: Milk, Cadbury's Hot Chocolate Powder, Squirty Cream, Candy Cane, Red Licorice and Gold Sprinkles to decorate.

1. Pour the desired amount of milk into a mug of your choice and place in microwave to heat for 2-3 minutes or until hot.

2. Take out of the microwave and be careful not to burn yourself! Add Cadbury's Hot Chocolate to taste, I use around 3 heaped spoons (I like mine extra chocolaty!)

3. Swirl a generous amount of cream to the top of your hot chocolate

4. Decorate with some gold sprinkles, a stick of red licorice and a candy cane to make it that little bit more festive! The perfect treat for a chat amongst friends!!

Treat No. 3- Reindeer Bites

You will need: Large Marshmallows, Bar of Chocolate to Melt, Pretzels, Red M&M's and White and Black Icing.

1. Break the chocolate into squares and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Then place the chocolate in the microwave until melted. 
*Be careful not to overheat the chocolate or it will burn.

2. When the chocolate is melted, stick the marshmallows on cocktail sticks and dip them in, to cover completely in chocolate. Tap the stick gently on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate.

3. Continue to cover as many marshmallows in chocolate as you wish, but work quickly so the chocolate doesn't re-harden. 

4. Cut a large orange in half and stick the cocktail sticks with the marshmallows, into the orange. Then place in freezer for 20 minutes for the chocolate to harden.

5. Cut the pretzels in half to make antlers. 

6. Once you take them out of the freezer stick the pretzel antlers on the top of the marshmallows using the black icing. Also, using the black icing, stick a red M&M's to the front of each marshmallow to make the red nose.

7. Finally,, using the white icing, give your reindeer eyes, then place back into the fridge for the icing to harden.

That's all for my 3 Quick and Easy Festive treats blog! What's your favorite treat this time of the year? xx   

Christmas Crafts

As a bit of Festive Fun, my sister and I decided to decorate ornaments for our Christmas Tree. With cute little Gingerbread Men and Snowflakes to work on we whipped out our best creative skills and put them to good use! Well sort of... So go ahead and click the link below to my YouTube video for a little giggle ;) Miss J xx

https://youtu.be/Fmlt_lQIMN4

Top Five Christmas Movies!

Everyone knows that Christmas is never complete without a festive movie marathon! 

When it's cold outside and you've nowhere to be, there is not a better way to pass time than curling up on the sofa in your PJ's with a tub of Quality Street and some Christmas Classics. Be it the good ole' tale of an ordinary man who became 'Santa Claus' one Christmas Eve, or a much loved family giggle like 'Elf'. 

So I have decided to m make a list of my Top Five Christmas Movies to share with you guys, take a look! (In no particular order)

1. Home Alone (1&2)

2. Fred Claus

3. Miracle on 34th Street

4. Elf

5. The 'Santa Clause' Movies

Merry Christmas ya Filthy Animal! ;)

Christmas Tree Decorating

IIIIIIT'S CHRISTMASSSSSSS!! 

That means it's time to deck the halls and trim the trees, which is exactly what I did in preparation for this blogpost in my "12 Blogs of Christmas". For weeks I counted down the days, even minutes, until it was finally time to put up the Christmas Tree and when that day arrived I was ready to get festive! ;)

 Firstly, to create the perfect Christmas mood for our evening of tree decorating, my sister and I popped on good ole' Home Alone (a personal favourite!) Then, we got decorating! 

I must admit, for the first hour it was a whole lot of posing, mid-hanging ornaments on the tree, to get the perfect artsy photo... As you can see below lol!

Eventually when the job was done and we got a chance to stand back and admire our handy work, the result was rather impressive, if i may say so myself! Don't you agree? 

Decorating the tree is by far one of the best parts of Christmas. What's your favorite ornament on your Christmas Tree? xxx

Five Fave Christmas Jams!

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear!" 

-Buddy The Elf

It's official! We are now in December which means that it is Christmas, which means that it is now "socially acceptable to play Christmas music". Although, in saying that, it's totally okay if you wanna play Christmas music on the 25th of June for the "six months till Christmas mark" which is so not what I do.. Pfft! 

So to celebrate the fact that it's now 10 days to Christmas I've made a list of my 5 fave songs to jam out to during the Christmas season. Without further a do, here are my FIVE FAVE CHRISTMAS JAMS!! (In no particular order ;) )

1. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree- Brenda Lee

2. Merry Christmas Everyone- Shakin' Stevens 

3. All I Want for Christmas is You- Mariah Carey

3. Driving Home for Christmas- Chris Rea

5. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)- Michael Buble

What are your favourite Christmas tunes? xxx 

SLIMY BOO BROWNIES

As Halloween is rapidly approaching, I thought I would do a quick and easy 3 ingredient recipe for you guys to make during the SPOOKY season! Enjoy!To make the Boo Brownies, first pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees. Then place all your ingredients in a large baking bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until fully combined.

Next, what you want to do is take a 13inch pan and line it with some grease proof paper. Pour the brownie batter into the pan and place it in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes, until the surface looks slightly crispy.

While you wait for these to cook, we can move on to making the SLIME to decorate. Take your icing sugar and add preferred amount to a bowl and gradually add water until it reaches the consistency you wish. I personally wanted mine to be a bit more runny so that I could drizzle it onto the BOO BROWNIES to give that desired SLIMY effect! After you have this done add a little bit of green food colouring to the mixture and stir well. VOILA! I give you the SLIME topping! 

Once you feel your brownies are done, remove from the oven and let cool completely before drizzling your slime on top.

I had so much fun making these brownies and I hope you do too! If you make them, be sure to send me pictures on Twitter and Instagram using the #slimyboobro

Nails, Nails, Nails!

Everyone knows that Christmas is the perfect time for glitter, it’s a pity we cant have that sparkle all year round! The good news is, Autumn is the perfect season for metallics. Understated and versatile they glam up your day without any need for a special occasion. I'm loving these nails from Fifth Avenue, my personal favourite nail salon in Cork. My nail specialist, Jurga, never fails to disappoint!

With the colder weather, pastels are out and warm tones and colours are all in! Spice up your colour scheme with a bold nail polish like these plum tones from Boston Beauty in Mahon Point. The girls are all so sweet and they open till 7 most nights so you can squeeze in an after work appointment, what more could you want?

We all know that Halloween is the main event on everyone's calendar for the Autumn Season. That’s why I couldn’t resist mentioning these little gems from Boston Beauty in Mahon Point. They're simply every Halloween lovers dream!

So crazy nails are not for everyone, which is why I also love these glam matt nails from Fifth Avenue! They're a bold statement for the Fall, but could also work fabulously with a sexy Halloween catsuit.. ;)

Last but not least is my personal favourite, a French manicure! Everyone is always so focused on the new style, but forget that a French manicure is classic and timeless, adding an air of elegance to all your outfits every time. These ones I found are from House of Beauty. (They also do a lovely student discount!)

I hope you enjoyed this weeks post, and I'd love to hear your go to nail style for the Autumn Season! Xx

Season Staples Every Girl Should Have

Hey Guys! That's right, I am oficially back and ready to blog! Just before I get into this weeks post I want to say that from here on out 4:00 every Sunday is when I'm going to upload a new blogpost so check back every week to see what I've been up to. 

Here in Cork, Autumn has arrived with a bang. The trees are shedding their leaves, the daylight hours are shrinking and there's an evident chill in the air. This also means that it's time to rotate my wardrobe from Summer sandals to boots and wooly scarves. So this week I'm doing a post on my favourite season staples that I believe every girl should own.

The first item I've been obsessing over lately is my denim overalls from Bershka. Overalls are a must have in the Autumn months as they're loose and comfortable enabling you to do all the activities you love and when in gets cooler in the evening, just throw on an oversized cardigan or plaid scarf and voila! You have a chic and cosy look. 

The next thing popping up a lot in my Fall wardrobe is my red quilted gilet. In the cooler months before Winter arrives there's a definite chill in the air, but it's still not quite cold enough to whip out the fur coats. So this jacket is a lifesaver for me. It's simple and classy for long college days or coffee dates with the girls. 

My Timberland boots are my life. They're a rusty brown colour and literally go with everything I own . I wear them with jeans, skirts, dresses, everything! In my opinion every girl should own a good pair of calf high brown boots. They keep you dry in the rain and look stylish on every occasion!

Finally my 4th season staple for the Fall months is a good floppy hat. I purchased my burgundy one in Paris a year and a half ago and found that since then it's been both a Summer  and Autumn staple of mine. A wide brimmed floppy hat is the perfect way to add a little spunk to a plain outfit and give an aura of mystery about you! 

That's my Season Stapes I think are a must for every girls Fall wardrobe! What are your Season Staples? Xx

The Importance of Staying True to Yourself

Hey Guys! Today's post is something a little different to usual. This is an english essay I did in school about the importance of staying true to yourself and just being you! It's a personal essay and it's a topic that I take quite seriously myself. So, go grab a cup of hot chocolate and a comfy place to sit, as it's going to be a rather long one...

They said it would change me, make me just like the others. Right then and there, I promised myself that would never happen! Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I've always been the 'outcast', the person that didn't fit in no matter where I was. I hated it. No, no, correction! I hate it... Present tense. It's still the same, I don't belong, I'm different and I'm not sure why. But it's okay! I've learned to live with it. I'm not going to change for other people. If the don't accept me because of my 'unique' (at least that's what I like to call it) sense of style instead of wearing the latest 'Nike Roche Run'. Or because I prefer to bake or blog rather than make sure I'm all caught up on 'Celebrity Big Brother'. Or even if I prefer Youtubers such as Zoella, or Alfie Deyes, or Marcus Butler rather than big time stars like JB or Adele. That's not my fault. I like who I am! I'd rather be true to myself than live a lie to be popular. It's just who I am.

In a world that's dominated by technology, stereotypes and social media, it's hard to stay on track and to not get caught up in the whirlwind of it all. People believe that young girls my age should be a certain height or weight, or wear certain clothing and hairstyles. However, when girls try to fit this criteria, society complains that we lack originality and that we're all the same! How is that fair? In a world like that, how can anyone survive? The answer... Just be YOU. I know it can be hard, but at the end of the day, who cares what they say? While they're talking about you, you've got their attention. Even if someone doesn't like what you're doing, it's still your name they've got in their mouths. Surely that's got to count for something, right? If people don't care as much as they say they don't, then why are they still watching you, waiting to see what comes next? 

Being true to yourself is always the one bit of hope we can hold on to. It's the security net in my life. If I wasn't being true to myself, I would find it harder to be happy and satisfied with myself when I leave the house every morning! Sure, I may have more friends and be considered so-called, 'cool', but why would I want that? I'd feel as if I was doing the world a great injustice. I feel bad for depriving it of my utter greatness! Like everything else, there's a stereotype for this thing I believe they call 'Normal'. When realistically, there's no such thing! 

Once, I had this dream. I was tall with long legs. I was a slim size six with perfect skin, straight and sparkling teeth and I had long, thick, flowing blonde hair that tumbled down my back to my waist. I got straight A's all the time (pfft, as if!) and I had what you'd call a 'Rock God Boyfriend'. My life seemed perfect! But something wasn't right and I just couldn't figure out what. When I arrived to school (in my dream) I realised what the problem was. I looked around and every other girl there was exactly the same. Same outfit, same hair, same colour eyes, EVERYTHING, just different names! We were doppelgängers. Clones of one another! Quickly, my blissful dream morphed into my worst nightmare and I shot upright in bed panicky and with sweaty palms. I realised then that I could never be anything but myself. I would only ever have my own opinion, draw my own conclusions, think for myself. I would dress how I wanted to and read books in my pyjamas with a mug of hot chocolate, instead of going out and getting drunk, if I felt like it! It was my choice and I refused to let society drag me down and make me something I wasnt. 

At the end of the day, being you is more fun anyway! There's no-one like me and I'm proud of that. As my granny always says "Jodi, after God made you he threw away the mould! And that suits me just fine!" In today's whirlwind that is life and peer pressure, it's important to stay true to yourself, as without that, what's your real purpose in life? God puts us on this earth to be ourselves, so quit wasting time trying to be someone else and have fun just being you! Besides, everyone else is taken anyway! If people don't like you, ignore them and do it anyway. As wise ol' Dr. Seuss once said, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind!!" Dr. Seuss, he's got things sussed! 

The Deadliest Pre's

As a Leaving Cert. student in Ireland, it means that my pre's are looming nearby like a big cat ready to pounce any day now and make mince meat of their cornered prey. It also means that, in my head, it's 'Procrastination Season'! (Hence, this blog post as I try to avoid studying for English Paper 1.) However, with that said, I do in fact have a couple of tips that really help me to focus my mind and get me out the other side of exam weeks, alive. Here they are!

Top Tips for Surviving the Pre's

1. Don't panic! Take time to read the questions clearly and make sure you understand them. NEVER dive straight into the answering!

2. Make your own handwitten notes, they'll make sense to you and will be ideal for last minute skimming just before you enter the exam.

3. Make sure you get enough sleep. Lack of sleep and overworking your brain can lead to higher stress levels and lower concentration levels.

4. Take short breaks and reward yourself. Studying for long periods can make you become bored and frustrated. Instead do short slots of 45 minutes of intense work then take a ten minute break to make a cup of tea, or check Instagram. However, DON'T LET YOURSELF GET CARRIED AWAY WITH YOUR BREAK.

And finally, tip No. 5...

5.QUIT READING BLOGS AND GET STUDYING!!!

Those are my top tips for surviving the 'Deadliest Pre's'! I wish you every success in your exams!

Much Love, MissJ xxx 

Make-up meets High Street

"If you're going be two faced at least make one of them pretty"

-Marilyn Monroe 

A few days ago we went shopping for make-up on the high street. It didn't take long before we discovered Accessorize has a brand new line of make-up!

It is a pretty extensive and impressive range. From Bronzers to Brow Kits they have it all!

My favourite parts of the selection are:

 The Packaging

Rose Gold

Pastel Colours

Polka dots

Need I say more?

Mini Kits

Their mini kits are the perfect fit for any make-up bag.

I fell in love with their eyebrow box and concealer palettes.

Every shade for every date!

Nail Polishes

From daytime pastels to dazzling night time glitters, their range is endless! We had to ask the lovely assistant for a snap of her nails, The glitter comes out so well we were pleasantly surprised

                           

Check Facebook to see double sided lipstick and lipgloss trial!

MissJodette

We hope you get the chance to check out this stock soon, as I will certainly be returning myself!

Miss J x

Revival Review

Artists and musicians of the 60's were definitely into clothes.

So said Yoko Ono. Today's look was inspired by that. My sister and I headed in to town to see what the city had to offer by way of vintage fashion. My outfit suited the occasion perfectly. In a long-sleeved, high-necked, 60's pattern swing dress and paired with tan lace-up boots (go-go boots were a bit much :P), I was as casual as Jane Birkin, with a Bardot inspired bed-head and of course, my usual Twiggy style pop humour!

At Miss Daisy Blue, they have a huge collection of pre-loved dresses! The staff are so sweet and really helpful. The clothes are organised by colour and you could definitely just pop in while shopping with the girls for a browse as you would Topshop. The clothes are in pristine condition and we even found a dress almost identical to Frenchies (from the dance scene in the movie Grease)!
Located in the English Market we couldn't help but notice the delicious chocolatiers located just around the corner. The artisan stall is literally called The Chocolate Shop and it stocks the largest range of world chocolate in Ireland #CorkWin (see more on Cork vs Dublin when we visit there in two weeks ooooh!)
After that we visited Vibes and Scribes, they have a huge second hand book shop but also an another marvellous shop that sells new books at WOW prices! They have ridiculously awesome gift ideas and really quirky cards and wrapping - mental note for the next birthday!
Mercury Goes Retrograde is a bit more cool than sweet, it has a distinctive Macklemore feel, with an entire rail of fur coats! they are brilliant for handbags and have an absurd collection of shirts and t-shirts!

What the Frock?! is a new one recently opened with some great sale items, two women in there bought a beautiful emerald dress. Their clothes are more pre-loved modern items with a vintage inspired look than genuine vintage though so definitely suits someone looking for a nice look for a great price for a night!


Check out Frenchie's dress and more great pictures on my Facebook page!

links to afore-mentioned shops are also on the Facebook!

Get going, go vintage! <3

As The Sun Sets

Well Hey There!! Sunday evenings for me are usually pretty boring affairs.Quite often I have been out all day with family having dinner or shopping with my Nan, or I could have been rather productive that day and studied something or finished homework from Friday. But usually I spend Sundays just dossing around doing a whole ton of nothing! I tend to use Sundays to catch up on any series that I've fallen behind in on Netflix while I work on new blog post ideas and I often have the house to myself as my parents go out garden shopping or for coffee, so that's my fave as I can turn my music up as loud as I like and dance around singing at the top of my lungs! Now to be fair, I could go with them but I really couldn't be bothered! The other day my mom even asked if I had a boyfriend that I bring over while they're out of the house and then sneak him back out before they get home?! At this I actually laughed so hard!! I was like, "HAHAHA! I'm flattered that you think that by some miracle I did have one, but no, I don't." I found it way too amusing! Anyway, back to the point, as during the day I've caught up on all the things I need to watch, come the evening I get pretty bored. That's when I like to tryout new makeup looks, or hairstyles, or mix and match clothes to create wacky outfits. So this particular Sunday had the most beautiful sunset. The sky was a gorgeous mix of different oranges, red and even pink. This inspired me to base my eye-makeup around a sunset. Also it was another chance for me to practice my winged eyeliner, and although it took six attempts to get them to match, I was determined not to give up! This Summer I've also been OBSESSED with flower crowns, and FINALLY got my own a few weeks ago. As considering I have a pretty tiny head and body, most were too big and looked stupid or didn't fit my head so when I found this one in Penneys, I was rather excited! When I was finished this look I realized that I did actually look quite tumblr, anyone agree?

Hello Lovlies! So a few nights ago, I managed to get done with my schoolwork early, and had nothing to do but watch 'Pretty Little Liars'. So while I was watching it, I decided to experiment with a winged-eyeliner look. Firstly, I would just like to point out, that I'm by no means implying I'm an expert at makeup and I'm just practicing as I go along like any other girl my age! Also, this look was just a spur of the moment idea and, as I'm generally fairly crap at cat-eye flicks, I was quite surprised and definitely pleased with the oucome of it all! Finally, it was my first ever try at filling in my brows and personally I dont think it went too badly ;) What do you guys think?

Face:

Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer

Avon Concealer Stick 

Collection Cover Up Stick - No.01 Light Translucent

Rimmel Match Perfection- No.010 Light Porcelain

Collection Lasting Perfection- No.01 Fair

Catrice Skin Finish Compact Powder- No.010 Translucent 

Borjois Chocolate Bronzer- No.51

No.7 Blush- Coral Flush

Benefit 'Watts Up'

Eyes:

Naked Basics- Foxy
Kelly Brooks Brush Tip Eyeliner- Black
I Curled my Eyelashes
Eyelash Coat 1- Gosh Wonder Volume Mascara
Eyelash Coat 2- Urban Decay Cannonball Ultra Waterproof Mascara 
Naked 1- Buck (To Fill in Eyebrows)
Essence Lash and Brow Gel Mascara (To Set Eyebrows)

Lips:
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Lip Pencil- Shade 'Naked 2'
Urban Decay Lipstick- Shade 'Native'
NYX Butter Gloss- No.05 Creme Brulee

Hope you all liked this look! Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you think, and also what I should post next! xxx