Fashion* Hair* Travel* Fitness

Sunday 11 December 2016

Velvet Crushing!!





Hi Everyone,

I am obsessing over velvet this season. I shot these three looks for a Christmas feature a few weeks ago and only realised after that every piece I wore was velvet!! This velvet number was only €12 in Penneys.  I styled the dress with these fab over the knee boots. It looks like the 60's are back!! 




Every girl needs a LBD in her wardrobe for the festive season.
The ruffle detail adds a little something to a plain black dress. I wore it off the shoulders for an extra girly feel. This velvet LBD is from River Island.







And finally if your not a Xmas dress kinda gal this one is for you. I teamed the cute velvet bomber with a lace bralet and high waisted velvet trousers. If you had of described this outfit to me I probably would have said sounds too much but I think the double velvet and lace really compliment each other. The high waisted trousers are really flattering too! This full look is from River Island and the jewellery is from CHUPI.





Let the Christmas party season commence!!

Dominique
xoxo








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Thursday 8 December 2016

Christmas in Prague




Hi Everyone,

I am just home from the most amazing trip to the Christmas markets in Prague. I fell in love with the city.  Prague is such a popular destination for the Christmas markets & I got so many messages from people saying they were going to be going over the holidays.  So I thought I would share my list of what you have to do while there. Here are my top things to do when in Prague.


  
Christmas markets in the Old Town Square- This has to be your first port of call on arrival. I couldn’t get enough of this place. With the most amazing 20ft Christmas tree and markets selling everything from mulled wine to hot cider(my fav) to Christmas decorations and local cuisine this place is sure to get you in the Christmas spirit.


Rent a Vintage car- to show you around the city and the famous landmarks. This was my favourite thing we did whilst in Prague. The cars line most of the streets in Prague and you can take your pick. With the roof down it was probably the coldest way to travel around Prague but the cars are equipped with fluffy blankets to keep you warm. I definitely recommend putting on an extra layer before going to do this, I couldn’t feel my hands after it!!


 Charles Bridge- the most amazing bridge ever!! If you can, get down here for sunrise and it will make for one hell of a photo and an even better experience. I didn’t manage to go at that time but from seeing other peoples pictures you nearly get the place to yourself and the views are gorgeous.  In saying that, it was just as amazing when I did go although its always quite crowded.






The Ice bar- like it couldn’t get any colder!! Visit the ice bar down by Charles bridge. It opens from 12pm -5am every day. You are only permitted into the bar for 20 minutes but believe me its long enough. The drinks are served in glasses made from ice and they melt within 3 minutes. We had so much fun here!!




Grab a cocktail in Black Angel’s bar just off the Old town square. This underground bar is a must see. The cocktail menu itself is so impressive and the bartender puts on a show making each one to precision. Damien ordered one called Hidden Treasure and before bringing the cocktail the waiter brought over a treasure box with a keepsake and a little envelope with a QR code that we could look up the history behind the bar. Its décor is unbelievable but much to my disappointment photographs were not permitted in the bar.


Try a trdelnik (doughnut style ice cream cones) and then, try another couple. These little places are scattered around every street and they are a must eat.


Climb the clock tower for some amazing views of the city.  Watch the clock tower chime on the hour and you will see a little surprise in the windows of the top of the tower. Definitely take a walk up the clock tower where you can read about the history and see some amazing views of the Old Town square and beyond.



Eateries you need to hit- lunchtime try caffe restaurant, or the James Dean Bar. The James Dean bar is eddie rockets style food, the place is decorated amazing and the cocktails are fab. Try the James Dean or Marilyn Monroe cocktails!! For Dinner we ate at Crazy cow restaurant,  Pizza Collesuem and steak bar El Toro Negro.

Last but not least visit the John Lennon Wall and the little bridge just beside it where you can put a keepsake lock on the bridge. The wall has been covered with John Lennon & the beatles inspired quotes and graffiti since the 80's. When we went there was a busker singing his songs and it was amazing to see. Peace & love is the main message on the wall!! :)






   Finally do what I didn’t get to do- the underground tour. I didn’t know about this when I was there but a client told me about it while doing her hair this week & I was raging I didn’t see anything about it because its definitely something I would have liked to do.

For anyone thinking of going, I got a great deal on booking.com for a 5 star hotel. I always scout this site for deals whenever we book flights. The hotel was half its original price when booking & as we were staying for 4 nights I wanted somewhere really nice incase we stayed in at all. We stayed at the Grandior hotel and it was fabulous. The location was spot on and we were within walking distance of all the major attractions. Breakfast was also included in our stay and it was quite a fancy affair with music from a pianist echoing in the background.

Anyway if you are going over have an amazing time I wish I could do it all over again.


P.s everything I wore is tagged in pictures on my instagram page dominiquenugent89 :)


Dominique 

XOXO


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Tuesday 29 November 2016

Prague, you pretty!!




Hi Everyone,

Happy Tuesday! Today was our first full day in Prague and I have fallen in love with the place. We hired a vintage open top car to take us around the city to the major landmarks first thing this morning. It was amazing and definitely something I recommend doing if you are travelling here. The whole place is so christmassy and there are so many places to see. We visited Prague castle first, the views of the city are amazing from here.  If you were watching my snapchats today (Dominique89) some people were taking extreme selfie's here, I wouldn't be brave enough to stand on the wall like some of them, I value my life too much!! The car left us off at the Old town square but you can choose whichever route you like. From here we wandered around the Christmas markets trying out the local foods and drinks and then went for lunch.

We took a stroll across St Charles Bridge after lunch. Legend says that if you rub the statue of Nepomuk you will get good luck and one day return to Prague. There is also a small golden cross on the bridge where it is said if you touch it and make a wish it will come through within a year and a day so I am going back to do it tomorrow.

Anyway I am off to get ready for dinner now and I will have a blog up soon on all the best places to eat too.

Outfit details below :)






Jumper & hat- New Look
Jacket- Pretty Little Things
Jeans- Primark
Runners- Adidas

Dominique
Xxx


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Saturday 26 November 2016

Winter Whites









Hi Everyone,

How was your black Friday?! 
I hit the shops yesterday and bagged myself a couple of bargains just in time for going away to Prague on Monday. I will be talking through what I bought on my snapchat later ( dominique89) if you would like to see. I hear its much colder than here so I picked up some lovely winter woolies.

For yesterdays look I wore my new coat and I just love it! I ordered this military longline coat from missguided last week when they had the 50% off day. I just can't help myself when I get those emails that tell me they are having a sale #issues.

I teamed the coat with my parachute sleeve blouse and black denims and sock boots.
I also love this handbag I picked it up in Penney's and have worn it everyday since.

I curled my hair with my instyler and have a video on my youtube  (Dominique Nugent) showing how I create these ones.

Hope you all have a nice weekend. I will attach the link for the coat below and it's also available in different colours.

Dominique
xxx

Coat- https://www.missguided.eu/lightweight-military-trench-coat-ivory
Sock boots- Boohoo
Blouse - H & M
Jeans & bag - Penney's
Belt - River Island

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Sunday 20 November 2016

Falling off the wagon & getting back on it!



Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday.

While lying in bed last night after indulging in a pizza I realised I am lacking motivation to get my lazy ass to the gym lately. I started my fitness journey last March when I signed up to the body coach 90 day Shift Shape Sustain challenge. I was always into fitness before this but my eating was never healthy. I always found I had a fast metabolism. I have a really big appetite and am a junk food fiend but always managed to sustain my weight no matter what I ate. It was only when I tore my rotator cuff in a bootcamp class and had to give up training for a few weeks that I noticed the weight pile on. When I hit my heaviest of nearly 11 stone on the scales I decided to get my ass in gear and do something.

 I was delighted with the results from the body coach plan and continued my healthy eating regime and fitness right up until September/ October. I lost nearly 2 stone and dropped body fat since starting the challenge. I mostly done morning training sessions because I found that they really set me up for the day. Once I done my morning workout I felt it was much easier to eat right for the day. I learned so much about nutrition from doing the plan so I know the right things to eat after training and on rest days.




When the colder mornings started to creep in I lacked the motivation to get out of the bed and to the gym. Skipping my morning workout and saying I will go after work didn't always pan out. I'd find any excuse under the sun not to go work out on the dark evenings.

I took a look back on pictures from a couple of months ago last night just to depress myself. I took the picture on the left just after my holidays and the one on the right is from today. Although I have only put on a couple of pounds since then I have definitely lost muscle definition and can really notice the difference between the two pictures.



With Christmas just around the corner I don't want to set myself unrealistic targets. At the same time I don't want to slip back to the way I was before I started the body coach plan. I definitely need to create a balance that suits me.

So if you are like me here's a few helpful tips to get you on the right track. 

1. Morning prep- Food is my main battle. I need to start the day with a healthy meal so I can maintain it throughout the day. If you keep hitting the snooze button and find yourself skipping breakfast to get a couple more minutes in your leaba, prep your breakfast the night before. Overnight oats are great for this or anyone on the go in the mornings.

2. Workout prep- If I go to the gym not knowing what I am doing that day I kind of arse around and just do whatever I feel like. When I was doing the body coach I had structure so I knew what I had to do before I went. I had different days allocated to training legs, arms, core etc. This system is much better. So do out a list of exercise's for each gym day e.g Monday = leg day. If you need help ask a gym instructor for a plan.

3. Don't sacrifice too much. It's Christmas after all so just learn to have a balanced diet. Have 3 sweets instead of the whole box!! Even when I was doing the body coach I allowed myself treats. There is nothing worse than going cinema and not having the popcorn or saying you can't go for that meal with your friends because it doesn't fit in with your plan. There is always a healthy option on the menu.

Hope this helps!!

Dominique
Xoxo




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Saturday 5 November 2016

My Liz Earle skincare routine










Hi Girls,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend. 

I had a few people commenting on my skin lately so I thought I would show you all the skin care I use. I have actually only started to use proper skincare in the last 4 months. It's mainly after a night out or when I haven't got enough sleep that I notice my skin gets quite dehydrated and dry and these Liz Earle products bring it back to life for me.

I made a skin consultation with Linda on the Liz Earle counter in Arnotts a couple of months back. As I said, before using these products I had never used any type of facial skincare. I decided at 27 it was time to start looking after my skin. I have always been lucky that my skin is quite clear. Obviously I do get break outs at certain times but overall its pretty good. So when I say I hadn't got a clue about skincare, I mean, I hadn't got a clue. When Linda asked me what my normal skincare routine was I said I usually just use radox or whatever is in the shower to wash my face and that's it. The look of absolute horror on her face when I said that was so funny. So you can take it from me that radox is a no no to wash your face with.

There's so many skincare brands on the market it's so hard to know which one to choose. Linda literally talked me through everything and what they were for and what order to use them in (skincare for dummies). The hot cloth cleanser and toner can be used on ALL skin types so you don't have to go looking for one that suits your dry or your oily skin, they are suitable for everyone. I got the moisturiser for normal/ combination skin and its so good and smells amazing. I feel like I always have dark circles under my eyes no matter what. I could sleep for 14 hours and still wake up with dark circles under my eyes. As my eye area is what I am most conscious about on my face I wanted a really hydrating eye cream that would brighten my dark circles so Linda recommended the superskin eye cream. 
I use all of these products on my skin twice daily, in the morning and just before bed.
My skin feels so much more hydrated and glowy now in comparison to a couple of months ago so I wont be going back to my radox any time soon.

The range isn't cheap but its definitely worth it and they always do package deals so you will definitely find one to suit your budget. I was just on their website there and they have so many lovely Christmas gift sets. Oh and this is not a sponsored post I just genuinely love the stuff so I will link the website below if you want to check them out. Or if you are going to pop in to Linda in Arnotts they do some lovely complimentary treatments and she can talk you through the products. She is a a bundle of skincare knowledge and so lovely.

http://ie.lizearle.com/christmas

Thanks for reading.

Dominique
XOXO




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