Hello to everyone taking part in Sarah of At The Beauty Desk’s “Let’s Talk Blog Challenge”! Week One was really great fun; lots of new bloggers and lots of chat happened on Twitter, so let’s continue that! It seems my little Munchie and my M&M’s were quite a big hit, but let’s talk a bit of fashion with Week Two’s theme!

Summer Essentials

With May marking the first month of summer, and Ireland actually getting some lovely sun, this theme is too perfect for this week’s challenge. My summer essentials include my favourite picks from my beauty drawer, and also what I highly recommend for the holidays and the Irish summer.

• Garnier Ambre Solaire Shimmering Sun Protection Lotion SPF 20: Being a tanned girl, I don’t have to wear too high an SPF factor, however I will still wear one because my skin is very important to me. This Garnier lotion has a lovely shimmer to it, so it’s perfect for day & night. Always apply SPF lotion if going into hot sun, especially after you’ve been swimming.
• Christian Dior ‘Addict Lip Glow’ in Rose: As previously mentioned, this lip balm is great for keeping your lips moisturized during dry spells. With its creamy formula and smoothing texture, this is a color reviver balm that enhances my natural lip color. This means I can just wear the balm and have pink lips without extra products. Less is always more!
• Day Dresses & Playsuits: Day dresses are absolutely essential for summer, especially because they’re great for going from day to night. They’re perfect for cocktails with the girls, date nights, summer nights at the beach and any party. I’m loving high street store, Lipsy, and its boutique brandsfor their colourful prints and flirty pieces.
• Colourful Skinny Jeans: I love jeans, though it can be hard to find a good pair for a curvy girl like me. For summer it’s great to ditch the black & grey ones for a pair of classic blue jeans, or even pastel coloured ones. Bershka, ONLY and Oasis have a great range of jeans at really affordable prices.
• Summer Sandals: Every gal loves her sandals for summer time, and I love them as much too. Now, I really can’t fathom the toe-wedge sandals, but thankfully there are so many over-the-toe strap sandals and especially heeled sandals. You can find a great range on ASOS; I adore these embellished sandals from Dune, as featured in my May Wishlist, and also these colourful ones by Steve Madden & ASOS.

Garnier Ambre Solaire €9.44 – http://www.boots.ie/en/Ambre-Solaire-Golden-Protect-Shimmering-Sun-Protection-Lotion-SPF20-200ml_1250249/

Christian Dior €36.50 – Addict Lip Glow http://bit.ly/10zSgJ0

Marc Jacobs €59 – http://www.boots.ie/en/Marc-Jacobs-Daisy-Eau-So-Fresh-Delight-Edition-Eau-De-Toilette-75ml_1431535/

Lipsy €55 – http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/dresses/lipsy-long-sleeve-printed-bodycon-dress/product-is-JD02888_031

Lipsy €55 – http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/playsuits/lipsy-floral-print-frill-playsuit/product-is-DR07324_130

Goldie €63.25 – http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/goldie/goldie-arrow-print-dress/product-is-BR01120_104

Yumi €55 – http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/yumi/yumi-butterfly-floral-print-dress/product-is-BR01809_031

Lipsy €55 – http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/jumpsuits-and-playsuits/lipsy-tropical-print-playsuit/product-is-JD03004_130

Lipsy €78.85 – http://www.lipsy.co.uk/store/dresses/lipsy-hawaiian-kimono-dress/product-is-JD02943_130

Bershka €25.99 – http://tinyurl.com/lnvhw9t

Oasis €47 – http://www.oasis-stores.com/coloured-jade-crop-superskinny-jeans/denim/oasis/fcp-product/3250192717

ONLY €34.95 – http://tinyurl.com/ncum9oa

Dune €66 – http://www.asos.com/Dune/Dune-Kaylah-Black-Embelished-Flat-Sandals/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3763711&WT

Steve Madden €96.92 – http://www.asos.com/Steve-Madden/Steve-Madden-Marlenee-Floral-Print-Heeled-Sandals/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3830801&WT.ac=rec_viewed

ASOS €77.25 – http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-PHOTOGENIC-Wedges/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3805742&cid=10266&sh=0&pge=0&pgesize=-1&sort=-1&clr=Print

Killer Fashion’s Summer Playlist

I’m a huge music lover so these singles & albums are on my summer playlist. Listen to them and let me know if you love em too!

Solange “True” EP – https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/true/id577412285

Clean Bandit “Rather Be”

Pharrell Williams “Happy”

Beyoncé “Beyoncé”

The Saturdays “Living For the Weekend” – https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/living-for-weekend-deluxe/id705100882

Amelia Lily “You Bring Me Joy”

Avril Lavigne “Avril Lavigne”

Janelle Monáe “Q.U.E.E.N.”

Miley Cyrus “Bangerz” – https://itunes.apple.com/ie/album/bangerz-deluxe-version/id691238659

Justin Timberlake “The 20/20 Experience: 2 of 2”

Robin Thicke, T.I. & Pharrell “Blurred Lines”

Rihanna “Where Have You Been”

Rihanna “Diamonds”

Girls Aloud “Something New & On The Metro”

Taylor Swift “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Nirina xx