Brocade & Lime

This weekend as I was out for a morning stroll down Cornmarket Street in Cork, I walked for the hundred time in front of a vintage inspired clothing store, and just like every single time I pass it, I stopped for a few seconds to drool over the dresses in the window. However, this time, my guy pushed me ahead and told me to go inside and have a look, to take as much time as I wanted, and that he would wait for me outside. A man encouraging me to shop AND offering to wait while I "take my time" doing so? How did I get so lucky!?

So I opened the door (which had a tiny bell attached to it and made the cutest sound) and walked into paradise...

I was welcomed by two gorgeous young ladies all dressed in 50's attire: the victory rolls, the red lipstick, the perles... They were a vision of vintage perfection! 

While at first glance the store might look small, there is actually a back area and a second floor. Even thought the entrance room doesn't seem to have a lot in it, I did spend more than 20 minutes looking at each and every piece of clothing, one more gorgeous than the other. On top of dresses, tops, and skirts, they also had hats in stock and the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen. One paire in particular grabbed my attention and I have every intention of returning for them! 

What I did not expect from Brocade & Lime was the other services they offered. Not only will you find clothing and accessories to die for, but you can also go there for an afternoon tea, watch black and white movies in the courtyard, be made up into a 1950's vixen, and have your hair and makeup done by artists trained in vintage beauty styling. They even offer bridal packages which include champagne, hair and makeup, movie, cupcakes, and an unforgettable experience for the bride and her girlfriends.

You can find more information on this gem of a store on their website at brocadeandlime.ie and their Facebook page.

LuxyHair

About a year and a half ago, I bought my first (and only) set of clip in extensions from LuxyHair and still do this day, I have no regrets.

I first heard of LuxyHair when I was searching for hairstyle tutorials on Youtube and came across the LuxyHair channel where two sisters, Mimi and Leyla, created easy and cute everyday hairstyles. From braids to buns, from updos to waves, these lovely ladies have a hairstyle for any occasion. 

Mimi and Leyla are actually the ones that founded the LuxyHair company. They provide great quality 100% remy hair that is long, thick, shiny and beautiful at an affordable price. I would highly recommend these extensions to anyone. I find that they blend well with my hair, especially if I wear them wavy or curly. They are perfect for adding volume and length to anyone's hair and will help create gorgeous hairstyles. It take aboue 5 minutes to put in and even less time to take out. As I said, I bought mine over a year and a half ago and I still wear them on a regular basis.

Here a my three favourite hairstyle tutorials from LuxyHair:

ELIE SAAB - Spring\Summer 2014 Ready-To-Wear Collection

Have you seen the new Spring\Summer 2014 collection by Elie Saab? It is absolutely gorgeous! The colours, the shapes, the flow, the material, the EVERYTHING! Each and every piece, while having a certain je ne sais quoi in common, has it's own unique taste to it and I love every single one of them. Here are a few of my favourite pieces, and you can click here to see more photos of the show (all the pictures down here come from the Vogue website).

I don't know about you, but if this is a sign of what's to come next year in the fashion world, I'm quite excited about it and am really looking forward to next Spring and Summer.

Winter's a coming

Winter's a coming par undeniablymartine utilisant cape en laine

With the cold weather making it's way here, here a ten super cute coats that could make the transition to the cooler seasons much better.

At the moment, I am weak for leather jackets such as the Black Faux Leather Jacket from Aéropostale. I recently bought one from New Look and I simply adore it. You can keep it casual and warm by wearing it open over a hoodie, but you can also dress it up by wearing it over a nice dress or with skinny jeans and some gorgeous pumps.

I am also a sucker for longer coats, such as the salmon coloured Marc Jacobs belted wrap coat, the mustard Vivienne Westwood coat, the red Miss Selfridge coat and the black Warehouse Crepe Military Coat. They seem a bit fancier than the average hip-length coat and would be perfect to wear out on a special events, such as on a date, an interview, an evening at the theatre, etc.

The grey Raxevsky jacket, the nude MSGM Cape en Laine and the sleeveless Haider Ackermann vest on the other hand, would be perfect for those warmer autumn evening when you only need a long sleeved shirt underneath to keep you warm. Add that to a nice of jeans with flats, and you've got the ideal casual day outfit!

Finally, the black Miu Miu belted jacket and the blue L K Bennett belted wool coat will look good on anyone, as the belt will accentuate the smallest part of your waist, therefore giving the gorgeous hourglass silhouette all the while keeping you warm and toasty.

Have you been wearing your warm coat already? What does it look like and with what kind of outfit do you prefer to wear it?

Cork Fashion Week 2013

I am so excited about the upcoming Cork Fashion Week! The even starts tomorrow and will be the first Fashion Week I ever attend. If you're in the area, be sure to get your tickets for the special events that will be taking place all throughout the week, as I am sure the places will fill up quickly. For more information, check out the Cork Fashion Week website or the Facebook page.

Here is the list of events that will be taking place throughout the week. More may be added as the week goes on.

Get you maxi on!

For the second day in a row, it almost feels like summer, here in Ireland, which means that I've been taking advantage of this time to wear dresses. My current obsession is maxi dresses! They are so comfortable, and paired with a nice fitting pale denim jacket, a sweet pair of wedge sandals and a belt, you have an outfit fit for boho-chic royalty! We recently had a promotion where dresses (including maxi dresses) were only 30 euros at Gap. Needless to say that I quickly took advantage of the opportunity and bought myself a few gorgeous pieces to prepare myself for sunny days to come!

Get you maxi on! by undeniablymartine featuring a cotton jacket

Life guidelines #4: Be curious

A while ago, I started writing about the guidelines of life that I like to follow. My vision of life, if you will. Today, I would like to talk to you about education.

Now I am just not talking about school and college or university. I am talking about educating yourself by opening up your eyes to the world. Life is so beautiful, filled with such wonderful things to see, amazing places to discover... Be curious! Seek to learn a new language, to visit a new place, to find a new hobby. Learning new things will help you open your mind, broaden your horizon, make new friends and put you in contact with amazing opportunities.

I've been saying lately, how going to university was like taking a veil off my eyes. Before, I considered myself pretty open minded towards new experiences, but still had that small town mentality that held me back. Spending 6 years in university definitely helped me get rid of some of those barriers. I started striving for bigger and better things. Not material things, but life experiences. And then, last summer, I went on the ultimate experience of my life and backpacked across Europe for 6 weeks, 2 of which I did on my own. While university took the veil off my eyes, traveling made me open my eyes. I now see the world for what it is: a wonderful paradise full of amazing people! I now want to travel across the globe, see every continent, make friends from the four corners of the earth... I am curious about everything that is out there, I want to try it out all at least once.

I can say that I love the person that I am today, and I contribute a lot of that to my travels. During my time with my backpack, especially those two weeks on my own, I learned more about myself than I ever did in the last 25 years. I've learned to appreciate the small things and that money isn't what makes you rich.

I've never considered myself emotionally attached to my country of origin, and now I know why. I am a citizen of the world, a happy-infected-with-wanderlust traveler, and a seeker of knowledge and experiences. I am not saying that you should book a flight to Australia for next week or anything.

I'm simply urging you to not be afraid of trying out new things, even if it is only the new restaurant down the street. You might end up finding out that you actually really like sushi and that raw fish is not as disgusting as you originally thought!

Be curious by undeniablymartine featuring h&m tank tops

Glossy Box - March 2013

Today, I received my March edition of the UK Glossy Box, which completely caught me by surprise, because I had not realized that we were almost mid-month already! Seriously, where does the time go!

As I opened up my box, I have to be honest and say I was a bit disappointed at first glance, but only for the fact that is seemed rather plain after such an incredibly Valentine's Day themed one. But, as soon as I realized that the theme for this month's box was City Chick\ Traveling, I immediately liked it and deemed it quite appropriate for my situation.

The first product was the fragrance free Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant by Elizabeth Arden. My first mistake with this product was to use too much. Thinking it was a creamy lotion, I went about to put an amount just a bit smaller than the size of a penny in the palm of my hand. However, it came out as a sort of balm-like paste and I quickly realized that I didn't need much to cover both of my hands. As I tried to rub it over my hands, it didn't absorb well, leaving my skin feeling oily and heavy. I could see it being good for someone with extremely dried skin, but I know that I wouldn't be able to put it on my hands and definitely not on my face. However, I then tried it on my lips, which due to the recent cool temperature we've been experiencing, were a bit chapped. I must that it felt heavenly and that from now on, this cream will be used solely on my lips!

The second product that I tried was the Brightening Hand Care SPF 20 sunscreen by L'Occitane en Provence. It's a "non-oily lotion that firms and smoothes the skin, reduces the appearance of age spots and protects against UV Damage with filters to protect your hands from sun damage." I really liked this product because it made my skin feel like velvet and it smelled so good. As for the question of if it actually protects well against the sun, well I can't say I've had the chance to try it with the lack of sun here in Ireland, but that factor aside, I think this product is a keeper.

The third product I have yet to try. The Flash Relax Mask by RENU is a facial product that is supposed to give instant radiance effect to you skin,  boost it with vitamins as well as moisturize it. Also, it uses a paraben-free formula, which suits it for even the most sensitive skin types.

The fourth product, I haven't yet tried either. This Pearly's Weekly Teeth-Brigthen Powder by Pearly is a powder that is meant to gently and effectively remove external strains from the teeth. It can apparently brighten up your smile by up to 4 shades! Can't wait to try it out!

Finaly, for the pièce de résistance, I introduce to you the Lip Blush by Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics. This was the first product that I tried and it immediately went into my purse so that I would have it with me at all times. It contains beeswax and ceresin wax, which makes it smooth to apply and gives it a buttery feeling. Plus, it lasts long! I put it on before going to work and 4 hours later, my lips were still pink from it! I absolutely loved the shade it came in. It really seemed like blush, but for lips. This product was definitely my favourite!

Did you receive the March 2013 UK Glossy Box? What are your thoughts?

Gap

Ouf! I feel like it's been forever since my last post. It's amazing how busy one can become all of a sudden. Well I finally managed to snag myself a job in retail, which I'm quite excited about. You are now reading the post of the new Sales Advisor for Gap. I've been working a lot in the past week, which explains my lack of posting. I'm actually working in the baby department, which I was kind of disappointed at first because I wished to work in the women's section, but I quickly fell in love with it. I get to work with fashion and children, two things I absolutely love!

This week, we've received our new Spring line, which is simply superb. I love discovering the new styles and it's not just because I work there, but I find Gap's collections are just lovely. Everything is so clean-cut and classic. Just by entering the store, you can see the quality of the products and all of this makes it so much easier for me to believe in the brand and to sell it.

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about coloured denim and how much I loved it. Well turns out that the Gap stylist and I are on the same page, as they are one of the main products for the season. Hmm... maybe I could become one of them. Interesting idea!