This week I've been mostly...

Shooting...some beautiful dresses from Ivory Clost in Limerick with my favourite photographers Kevin Murphy and Jody Neville and models Annalee and Sinead. We shot in St Patricks college in Thurles, an old former seminary which has a library straight out of Hogwarts and a sweeping driveway to match Downton Abbey. It was a great day and had great fun with some beauty shots as well as some more creative stuff (metallic tears anyone?) Here are some behind the scenes shots and the first few official pictures...I'll be updating the website in the coming weeks with the final results.

Mixing...Lancomes Teint Idole 24 hour foundation with their Genifque serum to create the perfect long lasting foundation that gives an incredible glow and luminous skin. I used this on my bridal trials this weekend with gorgeous results.

Daytrippin'...to Dublin. Highly recommend a visit to the Leprechaun museum, if only for the photo opportunities on the giant chairs! Went to Dublin zoo but had that usual slightly guilty feeling that some of the animals really are just too big to be enclosed in such as small space. It was also extremely hot that day so most of the animals were hiding in whatever shade they could find. After that was the Guinness Storehouse - the actual storehouse itself is very loud with lots of videos shouting for your attention all at once but the view from the Gravity bar is totally worth the admission price. Also the staff are amazing and really friendly!

Juicing...green stuff. I hate vegetables. Have been hiding them under the mash and feeding them to the dog for as long as I can remember. But, in a effort to be more healthy, I figured I would try a green smoothie recipe from Kimberly Snyder. She's a nutritionist and she writes really good articles about health and food. Some of her plan is a bit extreme for me (no chocolate or wine) but the juices aren't too taxing and at least its a healthy start for the day. I've adapted it a bit for my taste but you can add or omit different veggies and fruit. Put a glass of water and some ice into the blender. Add some green leaves - I've been using rocket and spinach as I can't find kale which is in the original recipe. Blend until smooth and then add a chopped pear and apple. Blend again. Finally add some celery and the juice of an orange or grapefruit. It looks rotten but doesn't taste too bad and literally has your entire five a day in it!

Reading...Oohlala magazine, a new Irish magazine that I think is right up there competing with its UK rivals. Its content heavy, the articles are really well written and it brings catwalk trends to Irish consumers with products we can actually get here at home and I loved the makeup and beauty articles!