#FIVEONFRIDAY

#FIVEONFRIDAY

Aofie Harrison Millinery

Unveiling her first collection in 2008, Aoife Harrison is a name you need to know within the millinery scene. Her stunning creations cater from simplistic and notable designs to eye-catching eccentric headpieces and everything in between. You can see the true beauty of one of Aoife’s piece yourself with Aoife Harrison Design stocked in the Design Centre Dublin and The Whyte House, Westport.

Electric Picnic

The final festival hurrah before Summer comes to a close is of course Electric Picnic, running this year from  August 29^th- 31^st.  It is the only festival that I count down the days to and it makes saying goodbye to Summer and hello to Autumn that little bit easier. This year shall be my third EP experience and to make the weekend even more amazing I will be setting up camp (literally) with my fellow Siopaella gurl, Ciara!  

Anna Wintour – ALS Challenge

No words really.

http://www.vogue.com/culture/article/anna-wintour-als-ice-bucket-challenge/#1

Charlotte Tilbury – Brown Thomas launch  

If you are a make-up lover like all of us here in Siopaella (okay minus Steve and the dogs) then you will of course be waiting with baited breath for the Charlotte Tilbury make up launch in Brown Thomas next Tuesday. Ms Tilbury’s beautiful work can be seen on the covers of established magazine such as LOVE, Vogue and Vanity Fair to name but a few. Her premier collection will focus on products for the eyes, skincare and make-up tools. Pay day cannot come sooner.

 Claire Tracey – New Face

The Irish media was a buzz yesterday with the announcement that designer Carolyn Donnelly’s new campaign had nabbed itself a new face! So who is the lucky lady you ask? It is the gorgeous Claire Tracey who will be Donnelly’s new face for her collection, the Edit, for Dunnes Stores.   

What is your #fiveonfriday? 

Sinéad

Meet the Team – Eileen Boland

Meet the Team – Eileen Boland:

There are two things you need to know about Ms Boland; one is that she loves lipstick and the other is that she loves nail polish. However, want to know what Eileen loves the most? Taking selfies! Eileen is our resident poser and we LOVE her for it.

Supposedly Kim Kardashian is writing a book all about how to take the perfect selfie I say forget about Kimmy K and hand over that book deal to Eileen. Her pictures consist of vividly colourful lipstick and big brown beautiful eyes.

I have known Eileen for a year now and I can say hand on heart I have never seen the girl without any lipstick on. Her love for lipstick can be seen in the photo below. Those are her lips showcasing the various shades of lipstick she has.

Eileen is our own ray of positive light and energy. She always has a smile and knows how to make us crack one if we’re not having the best of days. The only time I’ve seen her cry was when her sister called her in the middle of a staff meeting to let her know she was engaged. It was such a happy emotional moment between Eileen and her sister that it even brought me to tears (I’m a happy crier - don't judge me).

She’s also the healthy one of the bunch constantly letting us know what good foods to eat and scowling at Ella when she orders the “Ella Special” from McDonalds (double cheeseburger, large fries, 6 McNuggets, BBQ sauce and a diet coke).

Eileen’s vices are leather and diet coke. She owns leather shorts, trousers, tops and jackets (Ella still hasn’t forgiven her for buying an Acne leather jacket when it came in to Siopaella – we operate on a first one to scream bagsy gets it scheme).

Eileen studied Business, Economics and Finance in UL and then did her masters in Fashion Buying and Management in DIT. She even graduated with distinctions! She’s such a little genius. 

According to an Eileen insider she has a “healthy obsession with Jane Austen novels but an unhealthy obsession with Harry Potter”. However in my own opinion I would say Eileen’s real unhealthy obsession is with moustaches…I don’t know either.

Her best friend in the whole world is her crazy little dog Monty who unfortunately I’ve only seen in pictures but she seems like a perfect little lady; cuddly, loving with just a hint of crazy.

She is our cute, little, happy ball of sunshine who has the biggest heart and smile of all the Siopaella team. Come in and experience an Eileen hug for yourself, they’re the best J

Three Fun Facts about Eileen:

1.       She owns over 47 different shades of lipstick

2.       She likes having her head rubbed

3.       Her first mode of communication as a child was singing (she’s a cutie)

For more on our darling Eileen Boland you can follow her here:

Instagram – Alwayseileen

Twitter - Alwayseileen

Ciara x

#FIVEONFRIDAY

#FIVEONFRIDAY

You can't cry long weekend hangover anymore I'm afraid! 

It's time to rejoin the world - read on to find out what's happening this week. 

Temple Bar Night Market

Temple Bar at night may not sound like the most desirable place to spend your evening but thanks to the Temple Bar Night Market that is quickly changing. Held every Thursday evening until late, the Night Market is perfect place to go and explore some of the amazing talent in arts, crafts and performers that Dublin has to offer.

 Chupi  

                         

Another instagramer/designer I shamefully stalk is the amazing Irish jeweler, Chupi. Specialising in creating beautiful delicate gold jewellery, you can see why at the age of 21 this talented lady was scouted by Topshop during her first year of college. 

Her AW collection, ‘Fly away with me…’, is simply exquisite.

Discover Loyalty: Picture This

Huge thank you to the wonderful team that is Picture This Dublin! Last night we had the pleasure of being fed and entertained by the guys all in celebration of their newest endeavor, the Discover Loyalty Card.  The card is a Golden ticket to the city. With amazing discounts, deals and sooo much more! Picture This Dublin are spreading their talent and providing you with so many more ways to #Enjoyyourcity.  Check out Timi’s post to learn more and read all about the night.

Totally Dublin

The newest issue of Totally Dublin has just landed into the shop – YAY!!  Providing us with the latest happenings within Dublin in relation to music, film and reviews. It’s what quick lunch breaks are made of! Pop into the shop to grab your own copy.  

Raglans

If you haven’t already noticed we do love our festival and music scene here in Siopaella HQ. This week we thought we’d give a shout out to one of our favourite Irish bands, Raglans. Having stumbled upon the lads at last year’s Electric Picnic I can say without a doubt that they are a band you must see live! Give them a listen and to any of our Cork followers you are in luck, Raglans play the Timoleague Festival this Saturday.

What is your #fiveonfriday? 

Sinéad 

Meet the Team: Shaniqua:

Meet the Team: Shaniqua:

Sinéad or Shaniqua as Ella likes to call her (Ella has a weird fascination with stripper names, don’t ask) is another long serving member of the Siopaella team. She’s our tall, dark haired, pale skinned fat child in a skinny woman’s body.

   

The girl likes her food but you’d never know that by looking at her (lucky bitch). She’s the Joey of the group. Like our favourite character from Friends Sinéad doesn't share food! If you want to keep her happy don’t even ask for some of her food. I made that mistake at the Christmas party and my goodness if looks could kill. She was very protective over that creamy mash.

She is known for her gorgeous skirts, statement necklaces and of course that fierce Tipperary accent. She drinks buckets of tea a day and only recently (thanks to myself and Eileen) has started to put the teabags in the bin and not thrown by the sink!!!

After being offered a full time job in Siopaella  Sinéad turned up to work the next day four hours late. Her excuse was that she went to sleep so content about having been offered a job that she slept like a baby and forgot to set her alarm.

Sinéad studied Communications in DCU and just graduated with a 2:1 and a first in photography (bualadh bos). During her final year Sinéad continued working at Siopaella doing one or two days a week. We missed her during this time and are delighted she’s back to full time.

She’s the hyper child of the group who often says sentences that make no sense especially at the end of the day. We just look at her and give the poor creature a hug and send her on her merry way home

.

Three Fun Facts about Shaniqua:

1.       She is currently homeless.

2.       She’s the breaker and spiller in Siopaella from tables, fans, cups etc

3.       As a child Sinéad thought she was a cat living in Sweet Valley Kittens

For more on Shaniqua you can follow her here:

Instagram – sineadk03

Ciara x

#FIVEONFRIDAY

#FIVEONFRIDAY

Still recovering from the long weekend?

Well don’t worry this week’s #fiveonfriday has the perfect solution! You can still be in the know but this time from the comfort of your own home.

Read on to discover our top 5 sites to live vicariously through this week! J

Picture This Dublin

Thanks to the amazing team at PictureThis Dublin, you can see Dublin town and all its character without even getting on the bus. With continuous updates throughout the day, the guys are number 1 when it comes to capturing the true spirit of Dublin.  Get in the know and give the guys a follow!

Her.ie

Friday Night, Date Night? Pass!

Friday night with a Galaxy cookie crumble and catching up on the latest from Her.ie – YES PLEASE!!  Everything a girl could need for the perfect night in is all in one place with Her.ie They’ll make you laugh, cry and laugh again with the latest entertainment news, lifestyle discoveries and trending topics!

HelloGiggles

Our Tanya said it perfectly, ‘HelloGiggles covers everything from Disney to Politics and is a smart girl’s guide to being in the know’. With over ten female contributors, and more always welcome, the entire site was created to generate positive thinking and highlight topics relevant to the modern gal.

Frillseeker

When it comes to knowing what’s what from the next big thing in make-up and style must haves, Frillseeker is my Holy Grail for finding out the truth and getting honest reviews.  Their latest post about MAC’s A Novel Romance AW collection has me counting down the days until it hits shops in September!

Wish Wish Wish – Carrie Harwood  

If you still want to be productive in your downtime, then you MUST check out Carrie Harwood’s  Wish Wish Wish. Master the kitchen with her delicious Chocolate Butter Fingers recipe. Simple to bake treats which will go perfectly with a cuppa and a browse through the rest of her fun-filled blog. 

What is your #fiveonfriday?

Sinéad 

The Launch of Dublin Fashion Festival

Dublin Fashion Festival Launch:

Selfie time with JR,Steve,Eileen, Tanya and Ciara

Its Thursday night, I’m right now at home in my miss-matched pyjamas, tea in hand watching re-runs of Sex and the City. It’s a far cry from where I was last night, a far cry indeed! Last night myself along with most of the Siopaella gang and also the lovely JR Doyle from Picture This Dublin descended on the stunning City Hall for the launch of Dublin Fashion Festival.

The Runway

The festival itself runs from September 4^th – 7^th with fashion shows daily, events in various boutiques across Dublin and of course there will be great competitions to be won.

Eileen, Ciara & Tanya

 The Festival is hosted by Dublin Town and this year they have chosen the fierce and freckled beauty that is Angela Scanlon to be the face of the event.

Angela Scanlon, DFF Ambassador 2014

The night began at 7pm. City Hall was lit up in pink lights for the invite only event. It was the who’s who of Dublin and allowed me to indulge in my favourite pastime; people watching.

One of the looks from the show 

Whoever says that Dublin women and also men don’t have style definitely wasn’t there last night. The style was amazing! It was a jungle of midi skirts, the highest heels and outlandish accessories (I demand you to go and check out the gorgeous Jennie McGinn’s sandals - WOW).

Jennie McGinn who won best accessory for her sandals

There was food on the night by San Lorenzos and Salamancas tapas bar. Drinks on the night were a choice between bottles of Tiger beer or a glass of the new West Coast Cooler and Vodka mix. The drinks were presented and served by the lovely people from 37 Dawson Street.

A look from the show

The fashion show was an absolute treat to behold. Our eyes were feasted to what Autumn/Winter 2014 has in store for us Irish gals.

My favourite look!

NewLook, Kilkenny Design, United Colors of Benetton, Brown Thomas and Penneys all contributed looks to the show which were modelled by the gorgeous girls and boys from 1^st Option Models.

The most perfect red coat

 I am already far too excited about stocking up on winter woollies and coats and due to last night I have my eye on a certain few!

Loving this all black ensemble 

The night came to a close after the show but of course more drinks were had and more selfies taken. The surrounds and architecture of City Hall guaranteed that every shot would be truly beautiful.  

JR, Brian (who won best dressed man), Eileen, Tanya and Ciara

 Goody bags were handed out and they really aimed to please! Eileen’s snapchat with her voucher for a free Starbucks coffee was a godsend this morning as it reminded me to grab mine from the goody-bag in order to nurse my sore head. We got not only the voucher but also make up, a detox day and a voucher for Penneys, happy days.

Eileen, Aoife (our lovely consignor) and Ciara

It was a fabulous night spent with fabulous people and got us so excited for the main event in September. Be sure to check them out on Facebook for all their updates and hopefully we’ll see you there J

Eileen, Liam Cunningham, Ciara and Tanya

P.S We even got to meet the gentleman that is Liam Cunningham **SWOON**

Ciara x

Meet the Team - Big T

Meet the Team; Big T:

Big T or Tanya Cash as she is better known is one of the longest serving staff members to work in Siopaella (God love her). She’s our little bobbed hair, big smile ball of sunshine (post coffee only). She began as we all did, as a minion, I mean intern haha. With training, dedication and hard work Big T has earned her the title of assistant manager.

Tanya’s background is in performing arts (a talent that is a huge asset working here especially when dealing with difficult customers). She attended Sligo IT and graduated with her specialty in costume design for the theatre.

Tanya’s style is Victorian queen with a dash of quirky, colourful jewellery. Her favourite designer is Vivienne Westwood and she has been known to buy most of our Westwood pieces before they even get the chance to hit the floor (the best perk of the job).

Big T is the responsible one of the group. She’s the one with her head screwed on and regularly tells us when it’s time to call it a night and head home from the pub. I swear that girl does not suffer from hangovers! 

She’s a sweetheart who’s funny, kind and has the biggest laugh! Come in, tell her a joke and hear it for yourself!

Three fun facts about Big T:

1.       Tanya's favourite shade of lipstick is MAC's Lady Danger.

2.       Her dissertation was in 18^th Century Georgian fashion

3.       Her favourite city is Brighton because of its vintage and alternative scene

For more on Big T you can follow her here:  

Instagram- tanyacash07

Twitter- tanyacash07

Ciara x