The Winter Wrap Up.

November 28, 2018December 14, 2018Leave a comment

Hello Lovelies,

The season is well and truly upon us for coats, scarfs, cute bobble hats and the staple boot. So for this blog I wanted to do a round up for you all of any of the key winter pieces that have caught my eye over the last couple of weeks. I’m an absolute sucker for a long coat and some really nice short or over-the-knee boots. I’m only 5 ft 2″, so I gravitate towards a boot with a bit of a heel.
If it’s a short boot, I go for black boots on black jeans. It makes me feel taller and my legs a bit longer. So that’s something to keep in mind for all you short girlies out there, like me.

I recently bought this amazing pair of black sock boots with a stiletto heel and a pointed toe from Korkys in Dundrum Town Shopping Centre, which I just LOVE.

Truffle Sock Boot

I recommend styling them like this, paired with black jeans and a sophisticated tan trench

Woofley Trench Coat

On the subject of stylish winter coats, one place you can count on to have an array of styles is the almighty ZARA

Fortunately, this year we’re not limited for what’s “in fashion” because this season has everything, from puffers to trenches and faux furs to waterfalls. Although faux furs and faux shearlings (aka teddy coats) wouldn’t personally be my thing, they’re all over the winter fashion radar at the moment.

If you ever need some serious inpo’ for how to fabulously wear a winter trench, check out my favourite Irish blogger, whose absolutely killing it in NYC , Retro Flame

For now, here’s a couple of my favourite’s from Zara. You can find the link for each below.

MASCULINE COAT - Available in more colours

Zara Masculine Line Coat

HOODED DOWN PUFFER JACKET - Available in more colours

Zara Hooded Down Puffer Jacket

Luckily, with pieces like these in stores and online this winter, wrapping up doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice style or shape. Just choose items that compliment each other and your own personal style and silhouette.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m excited to wrap up and enjoy the Christmas festivities.

I Do!

November 7, 2018November 28, 2018Leave a comment

Hi again,

I want to take time to talk about two of the best experiences I’ve ever had and the makeup and outfits that went with them, so I might split this topic in to two posts.

I was fortunate enough to be part of two weddings for two of my very best friends from two different areas of my life. The first, was the wedding of my oldest and no. 1 chica in the world. This is the type of friend where we have lived in different countries probably longer than we lived in the same town, but no matter what, she’s always there for some solid advice and an adventure. The kind of person that makes you a better you.

Sue

Anyway, I wanted to highlight the do’s and don’ts of the dress and hair/makeup for being part of a wedding…

The Dress

If you are lucky enough that your bride is not a bridezilla and lets you have a large input in to the dress you pick, then keep the following things in mind;

It doesn’t have to look the exact same on everyone, embrace the fact that it wont.
Keep it simple, it’s never good to look to fussy next to the bride on the day
Be realistic.. how comfortable are you going to be when you need to walk, sit down and after you eat and drink.
Colour palettes. Keep in mind what will really compliment the brides choice of colour in her dress. Blush tones are really in and the bolder colours are losing their footing a bit these days.
Most importantly, don’t be too self-critical and picky. She doesn’t need the stress and neither do you! Credit: This beautiful bridesmaid dress was bought in Maids to Measure

Hair and Make-up

Again, if you’re only given a brief from the bride of what style she would like for your hair and make-up and the rest id left up to you, Here are some tips;

Don’t stray too far from your usual style when it comes to these, if you don’t usually wear your hair slicked back or in a giant bee hive on your head, don’t do it!
Don’t get carried away with Instagram and Pinterest. Just keep in mind that because something is stunning on a model (and probably airbrushed) doesn’t mean that it can be recreated exactly for you.
The hair dresser and make-up artist are only human, they can’t work miracles under pressure on the day.
This said, don’t be afraid to tell them what you don’t like. If you don’t usually like wearing black eyeliner, for example, say it at the beginning.
make sure to pack your own make-up bits if you have a specific skin type, the MUA may not have it.
Likewise, bring your own bits for topping up during the day. – a nudey lipstick/lipgloss and a powder for eliminating shine are two lifesavers on the day!

So there you have it, it can all be very hectic on the morning of the big day and these little things can make the whole process a bit easier. I’ll upload more pics from the day in the gallery when we get them back.

But for now the most important tip of all, is to ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

Trick or Treat

October 22, 2018December 6, 2018Leave a comment

Hello again,

Since all hallows eve is nearly upon us, I figured I’d share some ideas with you for your spook-tacular make-up and costumes.
During my course in L.A College of Creative Arts we learned some fantastic things, but my favourite of all was SFX make-up. Using wax, spirit gum, fake blood, fake hair, you name it! It as all quite tricky, and very messy to say the least. It’s certainly nor for the faint-hearted, but so worth it when the finished result looks amazing.

Last year I went as Little Red Riding Hood. I had a little red cape, a white-t shirt and a red & white check skirt, which I wore with tights and heels. All very cute until it came to the make-up. I wanted to create the look of having been scraped across the face by the Big Bad Wolf. To do this, I did one half of my face of make-up as I would if I were just going on a regular night out, and the other half I did in, diagonal lines from my hair line, across my eye and down my cheek with wax Kryolan face paints and fake blood.

To do this, the area needs to be clean and dry. Scrape out the wax and manipulate it in to long worm-like pieces (measure to your face) and stick them on one by one, spreading the edges out for a seamless attachment to your skin. Then, with a scalpel (always use caution!!!) make a slit down the middle of each piece. You just want the skin to look like it has split from the claws, so don’t have it too raised off your skin.

Next, use your makeup and Kryolan paints to cover up the wax and blend to your skin. You’l want to use the coloured paints to give the illusion of sore, discoloured skin in the area. And lastly, squeeze your fake blood in the slits and let it drip down a little to make it realistic. I then finished off by doing my eye make up on what was left of that eye and curled my hair in to big barrel curls, to finish off the cutesy look. 12115643_1050275068318718_8532015641973993489_n

And hey presto, you’re done!

You can find a couple more halloween looks, like mermaid and vampire, in the Gallery.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

The Journey Begins

October 17, 2018December 14, 2018Leave a comment

Hi Everyone, Alison here.

For my first blog I just wanted to introduce myself and tell you a little bit more about where Alison-Wonderland has come from.

I’m 28 years old, I love everything and anything beauty, makeup and fashion and I constantly live in my own wonderland. I had always envisaged myself living a moderately glamorous life in NYC, working for a big fashion or cosmetics company. In reality, I’ve been to New York once.

Truth is, I’m quite a home-bird. And I’ve found it hard to take the big jumps. I did a lengthy 6-year stint working in retail in Kildare Village, I’m a qualified makeup artist, fashion lover on the side and I’ve had my fair share of skin problems. So hopefully, I’m a girl that most of you can relate to to.

On Beauty-House I’ll be posting some of my own makeup work and that of the artists that I admire, any handy tips that I’ve come across, fashion insights and inspiration for the seasons ahead (wooly jumper season is my fave!) and probably a few candid chats about skin.

I’m new to this, so bear with me and hopefully we can go through the beauty and fashion lovers’ journey together.