Gem and Jo's Outfits of the Day

So today is our friend Helena's going away party... cue the tears! She is leaving us for a whole year to study in Germany! Lucky for her (and Germany), sad for us! However, one good thing comes from her leaving, a good ole fashion get together before she sets off into the sunset.
Anyway, here are our outfits for tonight's shindig...

Gem's Outfit:

Dress: New Look €32.00 

Bag: Primark €9.00

Shoes: Primark €2.50 

Jo's Outfit:

Dress: Promod €15.00 (On Sale)

Necklace: Harry Potter Studios €16.00 (Yay for Wizards!)

Shoes: Primark €5.00 

So there ya have it, our outfits for this wonderful evening! 

Thanks for reading guys and don't forget to let us know what you think, or if you have any suggestions, in the comment section below!!
Until Next Time,
XO Gem and Jo

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

It's that time again! (What time you may ask). The time when we let you know what we've been wearing on our nails! Here's our nail polish picks of the week:

Jo's pick:

So this week I decided to go for something a bit more classic (but still with a fun summer twist) and try out No7's Gel-Look Shine Nail Colour in the shade Hotting Up. This is a beautiful blue toned pinky-red nail polish. 

The great thing about this nail polish is the shine it gives off (even with out a topcoat!). It really is amazing and to be perfectly honest I think this is one of the best gel-look polishes I've tried in terms of shine. The consistency is quite thick (but not gloopy) and adds a nice layer to the nail, which gives the effect of gel nails. The staying power is great too and doesn't chip easily at all.

This nail polish is more towards the higher end of nail polish prices at €9.99, however due to the quality of the nail polish I think it's well worth it. Plus this classic summer red is sure to be used time and time again.
View all other shades and buy it here

Gem's Pick:
This weeks polish is brand new to my collection and it was an absolute bargain! It came in a set of 4 polishes for just €2.50 from Primark, (Penney's for the Irish folk). It's part of the P.S. Love collection and they have a ton of seriously gorgeous shades, all of which I may or may not have bought...

This shade is called Magenta and is fabulous in and out of the bottle! Most shockingly for me, it is the only bottle in the box which is matte. (Which isn't stated on the box) I didn't even know until I applied it last night! The great thing about matte varnishes is they dry super fast, and because they dry matte you can tell when they're ready for the next coat! 

As pretty and unusual as this polish is, I've only had it on my nails since last night and it has already chipped. It seems to just come off in flakes which makes me really sad. However this could either be due to the fact that it was really inexpensive or that it is a matte varnish, I'm not too sure... Either way I love the colour and the finish is fabulous. Maybe an investment in some matte top coat would prolong this polish!!

P.s. this colour makes even Ginger Gem look tan! This polish can be bought from most Primark stores across Ireland, take a look at their website Here

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this post.
Until next time,
XO Gem and Jo

Gem and Jo's New No.7

So no surprises here, but we went shopping again today... We know, we know. But new stuff makes us very happy and today that happiness happens to come in the form of new No.7 products! Including a free gift! Now who wouldn't be happy with that!
Take a look at what we got:

So to start us off, the reason we went shopping in the first place, Gem's mam has been struggling with some really dry, flaky skin on her cheeks after she got burnt during the good weather last week. Nothing seems to have worked to moisturise her skin so we went to Boots and talked to the professionals! 

The assistant at the No.7 counter recommended the Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Serum. Usually they would recommend a cream but Gem's mam has a bit of a thing about cream on her face so serum seemed the best route!

When we tried the product it seemed to work immediate miracles! The dry skin disappeared and the skin felt really soft! It's a brilliant product and we will keep you guys up to date to see if it's anti-ageing properties are any good!

Now since Gem's mam had a ton of Boots points on her card, she bought a serum for Gem too and got the Beautiful Skin Hydration Mask for dry/ very dry skin to use at night! And because it was 3 for 2 we got the mask for free!! We cannot wait to try it out!

To make things even better, we also got a free gift set! 

It's the cutest little gift and the packaging was so colourful and summery! We couldn't wait to get home and try every thing we got in it! 

Stay Perfect Eye Shadow - Middle shade in Good Earth Trio. 

Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara - Black.

BB Lips Beauty Balm - Blink Pink 

 

And you can all probably guess what Gem's next polish pick will be! The nail varnish you get in this gift is called Duck Egg Blue and it is just the cutest shade!! 

Thanks for reading and if you have any No.7 products that you can't live without, let us know in the comments below! 

Until Next Time, 

XO Gem and Jo. 

Gem and Jo's On the Go Makeup Bags

Today we shall be opening the pandora's box known as our travel makeup bags. We carry these bags with us everywhere and they contain everything we need to touch up our makeup during the day! You should probably note that our bags usually have way more crap in them, we cleaned them out just for you guys! No empty sweet wrappers shall be seen here! Carry on.

Gem's Bag: 

Esteé Lauder Bag, part of gift set. 

                                                                                    1. 17's Blusher Brush.

2. Eyes Lips Face (E.L.F.) Stipple Foundation brush. 

3. Esteé Lauder Sumptuous Extreme (Lash multiplying volume mascara) in 01 Extreme Black

4. Esteé Lauder Pure Color Lip Laquer in 01 Peach Glass. 

5. Nivea Essential Care Lip Balm.

6. Wrigleys Extra Ice chewing gum. (A girls gotta be fresh!)

7. Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Neutral 

8. Primark Powder brush. 

9. Wet n Wild's H2O Proof liquid eyeliner in E881 Ultra Black 

10. Esteé Lauder Pure Color lipstick in 26 Nectarine Shimmer 

11. Esteé Lauder Pure lipstick in 19 Rose Tea

12. Seventeen Lip brush
13. Esteé Lauder Pure Color eyeshadow palette. 

                                

Jo's Bag: 

Dolland and Devaux makeup bag from Tesco.

1. Hawaiian Tropic Island berry Sunkissed Moisturizing Lip gloss with SPF 25
2. Bobby pins and a hair tie (My hair has a life of it's own)
3. Real Techniques fine liner brush
4. Garnier Roll on anti dark circles under eye concealer
5. B. cosmetics sheer conditioning lipstick in Raspberry Jam
6. Zara Femme roller ball perfume (gotsta be smelling good)
7.  17 lip crayon in pink
8. Wet n Wild  Cover all pressed powder in medium
9. Primark kabuki brush
10. Benefit Boi-ing travel concealer
11. Elastoplast plaster (because this is seriously needed if you are as accident prone as me)
12. Rimmel London Scandaleyes retro glam mascara
13. Polo mints  (cause you gotta stay fresh).
14. Essence  Liquid eye liner

Thanks for reading guys and as usual, let us know your thoughts and what you like to keep in your bag in the comments section below!
Until Next Time
XO Gem and Jo. 

Gem and Jo's Beauty Haul

Well hello there, So we passed by some shops today and as it might happen we walked in and bought some stuff (what are the chances of that!!). Wanna see what we bought? Yeh, we thought so! Keep on scrolling to feast your eyes upon the lovely stuff we spent our pretty pennies on! 

Gem's Haul:

1. Esteé Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 1CO (Shell) €47.50.
 This foundation is my absolute favourite and I literally  could not live without it! It has amazing coverage and a  bottle lasts forever!

2. Esteé Lauder Advanced Night Repair Eye. (This was a freebie when your signed up to their email list!)

3. Topshop Eyeshadow in Done and Dusted  €1.00

4. Topshop Glass Nail File €0.50

5. Topshop Nail varnish in Mermaid €1.00

                                                               6. Topshop Nail varnish in White
                                                                              Which €1.00                        

Jo's Haul: 

1. Topshop Eyeshadow in Harlow Sunset €1

2. Topshop Nail varnish in Sketch €1

3. Topshop Nail varnish in Mover n Shaker €1

4. Topshop Nail varnish in Easy Peasy €0.50

5. Topshop Nail varnish in Voltage €1

6. Topshop Nail varnish in Moondance €4

7. Topshop Nail varnish in Heart of Gold €1


As you can probably tell from the prices, we got all of our Topshop goodies on serious sale, so if you're near a Topshop pop in and have a look. We really recommend it!

Hope you enjoyed our haul! Leave us a comment telling us what product is your favourite. We love to hear from you. Thank you so much for reading!

Until next time!
XO Gem and Jo

P.S don't forget to follow and subscribe

Gem and Jo take Waterford

 So last weekend we decided to hit the road and visit county Waterford. For those of you unfamiliar with Ireland, Waterford is located on the the south east coast of the Island and when we arrived we were met with beautiful sunny weather that the sunny south east is famous for. 
 After dropping our bags at the house (we were staying with some of Jo's family), we headed into the city to soak up some atmosphere. Although it was just an ordinary Saturday, the city was bustling and there was even a stage set up in the main square of the city (John Roberts square),  where a band was playing some great music. We walked around the city, did some shopping and looked at the historic  sites which Waterford is full of, (well it is the oldest city in Ireland), from Reginald's tower to the Medieval museum. 

We then headed to the book centre! This place is amazing! Don't be deceived by the outside, this place is huge on the inside (a bit like the Tardis).It used to be an old cinema. If you like books or stationary or anything in between this is the place for you. It has just about any book you could every want and a whole floor dedicated to stationary. It's a dreamland. 

The view from the cafe!

They also have a chocolate counter and a cafe which does some really good food This is where we had our lunch. The book centre is worth a trip to Waterford alone.

On Sunday We decided to hit the beach! We first went to Tramore and had a walk along the beach and then headed for a coffee in a local coffee shop.

We then headed onto Annestown beach where we had a swim (It wasn't that freezing!) and then had a picnic. 

On Monday we decided to head back into the city and we went to Geoff's Cafe bar for some food before we headed home. This place has great food and a brilliant atmosphere! 

After that we bought ice-creams and went and ate them in the near by community garden! The garden is only newly opened and is beautiful.

The garden is decorated with beautiful artwork and there is even a stage area. It was so nice and the weather was glorious!

We had such a great time! If you are thinking about heading to Waterford their annual Spraoi festival runs from 1st to the 3rd of August and the place will be vibrant with lots of music, street acts and even a parade and fireworks! check it out here

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to follow the blog!

Until next time. 

Gem and Jo Take On Iced Green Tea

So while Jo was off sunning herself in Gran Canaria, she picked up some Horniman's Green Tea. Now to be honest the reason she bought it was because it was called Hornimans, which made her giggle, and because of our recent obsession with green tea! (Check out our post about that obsession Here). 

After working up the courage to try this Te Verde, which is pineapple and coconut flavour, here's our opinions on Horniman's products. 

                                 

First off, this isn't like your ordinary green teas, this is made with cold water (or agua fría as it says on the packet). You're supposed to leave the tea bag in 250ml of cold water for 5 minutes (We used Tesco Irish Spring water! Find it Here for just 69c!). 

At first it doesn't look like it's going to blend very well but after a few seconds the sweet smell of pineapple is apparent! Yum! 

                                         

After waiting 5 excruciating minutes with the smell of pineapple and coconut in the air teasing us, we finally tasted it. 

It is like an explosion of beautiful, delicious awesomeness! No, seriously, this stuff is amazing and it really pains us that Jo only brought one bag back! 15 tea bags isn't enough!!! We will have to ration it out until we find a way back to Gran Canaria!! 

This is what it looks like when you first put the tea bag in!

Check out Horniman's website Here
If you have ever tried Horniman's Te Verde or know where it can be bought in Ireland, let us know in the comments and we will be eternally grateful!

Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time! 

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

Jo's Pick:

So this week I've strayed (but not too far) away from the blue nail polishes, and chose to try out Wet n Wild's Megalast Salon Nail Color, in the shade On a Trip. This is a beautiful cream purple colour. 

This polish has a great shine, even without a top coat (as seen above) and  it isn't streaky at all. I found that three coats were needed for a fully opaque look, however I was really please with the finished result!.

This nail polish is super inexpensive too and I purchase mine for only €2.99!!

If you are living in Ireland the only place that you can find Wet n Wild cosmetics at the moment is in Dunnes Stores around the country (that's where I bought mine), however if you are living in the states, you can pretty much find this in most drugstores.  

Find it here

Gem's Pick

While Jo has steered away from the blues today, I have cannot say the same. I'm using Rimmel London's I Love Long Lasting in the colour Azure (198). Its a gorgeous bright, iridescent blue with just a hint of shimmer, and who doesn't love a bit of shimmer! This particular shade has been discontinued but I was lucky enough to pick it up while it was still in stores and there are a ton of new colours to choose from!

                                             

The colour is really fresh on Irish skin tones and is perfect for summer! Plus application of this polish is a breeze, it is a treat to apply, only two coats are needed for that opaque look we all want!

                                          

This nail varnish is available in most drugstores and Boots stores across Ireland for only €4.55, which is a great price for such a good product!
If you're lucky enough to live in the UK, Boots are doing Buy 1 get the 2nd half price, take a look here.
Irish viewers can purchase the varnish from Boots.ie Here
For everyone else, you can see the product Here

                                            

Thanks for reading and we hope you like our picks for today! If you have a favourite varnish or one you would like us to try, let us know in the comments below!
Until Next Time!

Gem and Jo Go To Riverdance.

As Irish girls we felt obliged to go see Riverdance's 20th Anniversary tour this weekend! And we were not disappointed!
Now Gem had never seen Riverdance and we were only wee babies when it won The Eurovision Song Contest in 1994, so we hadn't seen the original but this show is brilliant!

The actual show starts with some stamping and a weird voice over who talks a load of craziness throughout the show, but when the first dancers start, you just get chills! There is no doubt that these people are absolutely brilliant at what they do! From the actual riverdance to the jumps, flips and spins, these dancers have serious talent!

The 20th anniversary tour is a mixture of Irish and international dance and music, Gem didn't know this when we went and was totally confused as to why they were doing the Flamenco and tap! Speaking of tap, the two guys who portray American style dance were absolutely hilarious! They really lighten up the performance!

Photo: Riverdance.com

At first, when the main dancer comes on stage you think, "What the hell is this guy wearing?" but don't worry, his wardrobe gets worse! It goes from puffy pirate shirt to leather pants, shirt and jacket. However while pirate shirt is dancing you don't care what he's wearing, his feet move like lightening! It is incredible!

Tickets for this show were kinda pricey, ours were €50.00 and popcorn and drinks in the Gaiety Theatre can be expensive, which sucks but for a show as good as Riverdance you don't mind!

You can buy tickets for the Dublin shows Here
Or you can checkout when Riverdance will be in your area Here

Let us know if you've ever seen Riverdance in the comments below, we love to hear from you guys!
Until Next Time!

Gem and Jo Take on Lemon Cupcakes!

So the other day we decided to bake some lemon cupcakes! Jo's brother was coming to visit and they are his absolute favourite so Jo thought that it would be a nice treat for him as she doesn't get to see him that often. Aww!
So here's how you make these lemony pieces of heaven!

Here's what you'll need:

For the Cupcakes:

• 8 oz of butter
• 8 oz of caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 11 oz of self raising flour
• the zest of one lemon 
• 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of milk

For the lemon icing:

• 6 oz of butter
• 12 oz of icing sugar
• 3 table spoons of lemon juice 
• 2 table spoons of hot water
• a few drops of yellow food colouring (if wanted)

So here's what we did:

1. Beat the butter and caster sugar together with a mixer, until it is a creamy consistency. 

2. Add the lemon zest to the mixture

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. 

4. Add the sifted flour to the mixture and mix well 

5. Add the lemon juice and milk and again mix well (that's super important, if you hadn't guess from how many times we've mentioned it!)

6. Put the mixture into a cupcake tray lined with cupcake cases (gotta love some alliteration) and bake at 170 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes.

Now onto the icing! 

7. While those bad boys are cooling combine the sifted icing sugar and butter into a bowl and mix well (yep there we go again!)

8. Add the lemon and water to the mixture bit by bit so as not to make the mixture too wet (for want of a better word).

9. Next add as much food colouring as you desire and the put the icing into a piping bag.

10. When the cupcakes are fully cooled (and we mean fully, or else the icing is just going to melt right off and you'll end up with a lemony mess rather than a perfectly formed cupcake), pipe the icing onto the cupcakes et voilá! you have yourself a lemon cupcake with lemon butter cream icing 

 This recipe makes about  24 cupcakes (boys eat a lot!!).

Thanks for reading and happy baking!
Until Next Time!