It might be a little too late to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a great New Year, but I’ve been so late for everything on the last couple of months that my brain just couldn’t think about anything else to talk about.

Saying publicly that I’m having a lack of creativity and motivation isn’t probably my best move, but since I started the new phase of Lilac I committed myself on being honest with my readers.

Some people promised to go more to the gym, others just wanted to read a bit more, but while screaming the last second of the countdown to 2013 I only wished to manage my time better this year.

I realized I could only optimize my time if I prioritize tasks – I still have to accept that I cannot do EVERYTHING I want at the same time – so I decided to write down all the activities I have to do and the ones I want to do. Compile the list wasn’t an easy task, ‘HAVE TO’ and  ’WANT TO’ can be confusing when you think you have to do the things you want.

Alongside to college and work I had blogging, reading, practicing make-up (believe it or not, when you only do your make-up in a rush on the train, you end up forgetting everything you learned on that expensive course), french lessons, boyfriend etc.

Work takes 50% of my life by itself, so joining college was a difficult decision, but it is now crucial to my career, so when I think about it, 90% of my time is committed already. If my life was a video-game, the green bar you have on the top would be empty by now, so how can I have time to do the extra things I want to?

Well, I didn’t find an answer, and that’s why after not posting on the blog for weeks, I came to my senses and realized I should stop punishing myself for not posting daily anymore and do something about it. I am committing myself to a weekly post, so I can keep my inspirations and updates going – and don’t have to deal with the pain of seeing this page dying.

One resolution that will hopefully change my life and the way I deal with the real life.

It’s that time of the year again, jingle bells and lights are all over town! While some of us is shopping for fancy Christmas party outfits, others are hunting the perfect Christmas jumper to wrap up.

Christmas jumpers are all about being cosy and comfortable. And at this time of the year we can’t really spare the warmth power of an extra layer!

One thing must be said, no one wants to spend a fortune in a jumper full of snow flakes and reindeer,  it is cute and all, but it’s extremely seasonal, so you wouldn’t get enough wear out of it.

But not buying an expensive Christmas jumper doesn’t mean that you can’t get a cool one! For our luck, Penneys and Dunnes always have great cost Vs. value options available during the festive season.

I’ve just got myself a very cute cardigan, to do my 12 pubs this weekend, with squirrels and snow flakes all over, at Penneys for only 16 euros!

Styling Christmas jumpers can be quite tricky, they are usually very heavy printed and colorful, so my tip is to keep it simple, match with denim pants and boots, converses or New Balances! You can always have a shirt under it (make sure you have the collar over the jumper!).

If you want to dress it up a bit more, you can match with a skirt (pleated, A-line or midi-pencil) and have tights and heavy socks with nice boots! 

It doesn’t matter if you rather it girly or tomboy, getting a Christmas jumper is a MUST in december!

“Je m’appelle Daphne. Je sui ving-ans” Yes I just joined french classes and…. yes, last Friday was the 20th time I blew my candles and wished for a fashion career,well… maybe my first 10 candles weren’t fashion related but it doesn’t mean that I didn’t want a new pair of shoes!

My friends and family know me so well… all my birthday gifts were fashion related!

3 Fashion Books (wait for a review on them!), a black clutch bag (for the girl that doesn’t own any black bags), a pair of Carvela spiked silver shoes, beautiful fluffy gloves, a bracelet and a pair of amber earrings (Jurassic Park feelings).

My only not fashion related gift was a pack of ski classes! I am enjoying it to death, never thought I would be good at it! 

I must admit that my favorite gift came from myself, a new tattoo on my ribs! It is a paragraph from the french book “Le Petit Prince”  by Saint Exupéry. It means a lot to me to have a quote from the book forever with me.

“Mais, si tu m’apprivoises, nous aurons besoin l’un de l’autre. Tu seras pour moi unique au monde. Je serai pour toi unique au monde…”

Only is a Danish brand born in 1995, uniqueness is on their name and I bet you can find at least one thing to love on Only Website.

When it comes to the edgy Scandinavian style, Only is definitely a big reference. And the good news is that shopping at Only is gonna get way easier with their new shop on Grafton Street! The new branch is going to open doors on Thursday the 6th of December at 11 a.m, let the countdown begin!

If you are among the lucky 200 first customers you are going to get a great Only tote bag filled with goodies! Don’t be sad if you can’t make it for the morning buzz, there will be a bunch of great promotions throughout the day!

Prepare your card and go do some Christmas shopping this Thursday, perhaps some your friends are going to enjoy getting gifts from a new stylish shop!

Well, last Friday, while flicking through some fashion Tumblrs I found the picture of model Amra Cerkezovic, looking extremely pretty, fresh and stylish. I can’t take my eyes out of this picture.

The “model off duty” style it’s one of my favorites, because it is refreshing to see clean faces and a simple T-shirt with denim and a pair of converses.

In fairness most models are amazing looking without any sort of make-up, but for us normal mortals, a light weigh foundation with pale blush and mascara will do for the ‘ no make-up’ effect.

A plain T-shirt is a basic item, but most girls don’t really like wearing it because it isn’t the most flattering piece, (if you are a model, you don’t really have to worry about body-shapes…), but for this look, you are not trying to be sexy or look hot, it’s all about the almost boyish look of being carefree andle.

We all have a pair of denim that we love on our wardrobe, and to achieve this style you only need your favorite pair of worn-to-death denim combined with a great pair of trainers or flat boots.

If you live in Ireland you know that an outfit is never complete if you don’t have your coat. Anything from a blazer to a heavy camouflage coat, at this stage you can be as bold as you want!

As November says the last good byes, Dublin is getting colder and darker. The first signs of winter are pretty visible, by 4.30pm is already night time and 2 degrees is the most common temperature on my phone screen.

Being so busy for work did not leave me time enough to do my winter shopping just yet. I must admit, my lack of time for blogging/researching/reading, put me off shopping for now, I have absolutely no inspiration right now!

I took my Sunday morning in bed to do some fashion homework as I prepare for Christmas Shopping! My favorite things right now are all-black Outfit, heavy jumpers, Pointy Shoes, leather skirts, wolly hats and neon details.

In need of mastering my winter outfitting right now, inspirations and suggestions are accepted!

On my new work I have to be really dressy at all times, but I couldn’t bare wearing heels all day, so I started hunting for dressy, expensive looking flats.

After visiting all shops on Grafton St during my lunch time, I wasn’t really convinced to buy anything, but when I entered Zara (I should really get paid for mentioning them in all my posts…) I found the perfect pair of spiked ballerinas. They are very expensive looking, stylish and comfortable, exactly what I need for work!

This spiked ballerinas can be worn with everything from a dress to my casual black jeans. I feel that everything I put with them, just looks instantly cool!

I decided to have a look around (even though I had found what I needed) and I ended up finding this amazing pair of velvet loafers! They are simply gorgeous, the mustache is a great add on to the loafer, so even though I shouldn’t be shopping for more shoes, somehow I decided that Movember was a good enough reason to purchase another pair of shoes (as if I needed any reason).

The older I get the more strictly I follow my mum’s rules about winter outfitting. Keeping warm will not only guarantee you a nicer humor but will also dispel you from a 4 months period of running nose and coughing.

Dress in Layers:  Rule number one is the most basic rule for any cold weather! The benefits of dressing in layers is that you can add or remove garments depends on how you feel!

Start with a thin layer closer to the skin, try silk or polyester or nylon. Never choose cotton as the first layer, this fabric absorbs water (a.k.a sweat) so it will end up making you feel cold!

Keep Head, Neck, Hands and Feet Toasty: These are your body extremities and it’s where the most heat is let off! Make sure socks, hats, mittens and scarfs are always on your gear!

p.s.: Mittens are much better than gloves, when you fingers are together they retain more heat!

Buy a good winter coat: Buying the right winter coat it’s not a easy task! The warmest coats are generally ugly, and as you are going to be seen with your coat for the next months you want a good looking warm coat.

Make sure your coat is long enough, ideally touching the middle of your tights. If you live in a humid area, water proof is extremely necessary. Having a hood attached to your jacket will create an extra layer to your head if necessary.

Find yourself a good pair of boots: Just as important as the previous topic, having a good pair of boots is really important during the colder months. I can’t imagine anything worse than having wet/cold feet. 

Try and get a pair that are thicker on the sole, this will certainly isolate the cold and water. When choosing boots, go for something you can wear with everything you have, from denim to dresses (black or brown are always easy to match).

 Get a Hand-Warmer: Hand warmer is a disposable packets that when held in hands, get warmer. They are most commonly used for hiking or skiing, but they are great to have in your pocket during a cold morning. You can buy them in winter sports shops and they wouldn’t cost you much.

Keep fashionable and warm!

Just back from France this morning and I was greeted with a beautiful and shiny parcel – Thank you Think House – and let’s be honest, nothing is better than getting some goodies in the morning.

I opened the package faster than what I am used to do on Christmas morning to find Dove’s latest creation: Crème Mousse (Just to make me miss France a little more this morning).

I did first what we all do when choosing a body wash, smell! The fragrance is pretty similar to the conventional Dove soap. I brought my new friend to my morning shower to verify if the ‘rich and creamy nourishment’ description was valid, and believe me or not, that’s the most nourishing body wash I’ve ever tried. It uses the NutriumMoisture technology to help restore skin’s softness and smoothness, and it definitely does it’s job!

My driest area is the face and that’s where I  felt the bigger difference! The rest of my skin is normally soft and moisturized but it felt even nicer after showering with Crème Mousse.

The good news is that the price is greater than the benefits! With only 4.06 euros per bottle you can get yourself a great bath treat!