My #LimerickStyle Experience.

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Hey Beauties, I hope your well its been a long time since I sit down here and wrote a blog post but I’m hoping to keep it up now in the new year and blog at least once a week.

Today I’m here to tell you all about my day out at the #Limerickstyle event last Friday the 9th dec 2016. So 20 top bloggers were invited to this amazing day of fun and in one of them 20 there was me, to say I was happy out to be asked is a understatement.

What the day entailed of was all of us visiting some of the beautiful boutiques in Limerick City and showcasing what Limerick has to offer which I was so proud to be part of being a proud Limerick girl myself.

We all met at 9am in The Savoy Hotel on Henry Street, for a Champagne Breakfast which was so yummy. Laura from Limerick.ie was there to tell us how the day was going to go and the Manager of The Savoy Hotel was there to welcome us all and also had a little surprize for us which we were all shocked to here. There is a out of this world giveaway to be won, a trip to New York for 2 on your very own private Jet from Shannon. Everyone was very excited after hearing this news and we were all ready to go.

First up we all headed up to O’Donnell Boutique on Catherine Street, where we were greeted by the lovely Manager. O’Donnell Boutique was founded in 1946 by Christopher O’Donnell and has thrived ever since bringing unique national and international brands to Limerick. The boutique itself was quite big with lots of beautiful pieces that go from size 8 to 16, they also sell some stunning jewellery and have a great online store. There was giveaways in all the stores and this giveaway here was take a photo of the one item you loved the most and post it to any of our social media pages and who ever got the most likes on that photo won the that item, unfortunately that wasn’t me!

Next up was Lily Boutique on Roches Street, where we were also greeted by the Manager. Lily Boutique is the sister company to O’Donnell Boutique. They are an exclusive fashion label for the fashionistas and trend setters in Limerick. The store is very modern and bright with clothes from size 8 to 16. As part of the giveaway here we did the manikin challenge which was so much fun, we had to quickly get a piece we liked and freeze for the challenge and whoever did the best position won that piece. And again unfortunately that wasn’t me!

We then headed across the road to Ryan’s Jewellers again on Roches Street. Ryan’s Jewellers is a family-run business which opened in 1964 but is a jewellery store since 1876. This year they are celebrating 140 Years as a Jewellery Store. Acquired by Stephen Ryan over 50 years ago, it continues today to be one of the leading Jewellers in Limerick City. I was very excited to visit here as I love this Jewellers and always go there when buying jewellery. They have some amazing, beautiful pieces at very reasonable prices. The giveaway here was a stunning watch by Henry London.

It was then time to head down to Vision 2 Opticians on Henry Street. Vision 2 Opticians opened in 2002 and are is 100% Irish owned. They are dedicated to providing a quality eye care service in a friendly professional environment. This was another store that I was super excited to visit, I wear glasses so I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer. I only wear rimless glasses and find them very hard to get at the moment but they had a good selection so I will 100% be back to purchase. 

While we were at Vision 2 Opticians we had Aroi Restaurant based on O’Connell Street, delivery us our lunch which was amazing Asian Food, so yummy and again I will definitely be visiting them in the near future. The giveaway here was a fab pair of Michael Kors sunglasses.

Once we were all full and ready to go again we headed up to The Attic Bridalwear Boutique on Roches Street. The Attic Bridalwear Boutique is a new and unique Bridal Store founded by Orlaith Carroll in Jan 2015. This Boutique is a beautiful open plan, bright room with a lovely clam feel to it. There is a big selection of absolutely stunning wedding dresses to pick from and try on for all shapes and sizes. If I was to get married again in the morning this store would 100% be on top of my list to visit. The giveaway here was a 250e voucher towards a wedding dress in store.

Next up we headed down to The Ivory Closet on Shannon Street. The Ivory Closet, Born from a love of fashion shared by three Limerick sisters (Niamh, Sheila and Aine Cahill) aim to offer red carpet looks without the ginormous price tag. The Ivory Closet is a dress hire boutique with many of their labels unavailable anywhere else in Ireland. There store is just so stylish and modern, they have a massive selection of dressed to choose from and again for all shapes and sizes. The girls/sisters are so nice and so helpful, I can see why they are so successful in business. The giveaway here was a dress hire of your choice for free. 

We then went off down to Hook & Ladder Café on Sarsfield Street. Hook & Ladder “Living Café” is an Irish owned family business, with locations in Limerick and Waterford. It offers customers a café, cookery school, furniture and home accessories store. Customers can relish the delicious café offerings, enhance their culinary skills in the Cookery School, buy locally sourced produce from the artisan display of furniture and accessories. We were greeted by the Manager and brought down stairs to this beautiful, cosy sitting area which was held for us and offered afternoon tea and nibbles. I have to say it really was so cosy and the food was yummy, I will for sure be going back.

After all this the last stop was up to Teds Bar & Venue on O’Connell Street. Teds Bar & Venue has newly been reborn with a difference, has undergone a complete facelift and is now under new ownership and management. We were greeted at the front door by the Manager himself where they had a red carpet out for us which I have to say made us feel super special, we then walked into a cornered off sitting area again just for us with a yum cocktails and fab goodie bags waiting for everyone on the tables. I was well impressed with how stunning the place looked. It most definitely is the new hot place to be in town. The giveaway here was a big hamper of wine, wine glasses and vouchers.

So that was it the first of many I hope of the #LimerickStyle events. I had the best day, so much fun and got to meet some lovely people and businesses in Limerick City. It was also great to finally meet and put some faces on so many fellow Bloggers I have been following for ages. We also had some great fun on the streets of Limerick when going from store to store. 

I just want to say a BIG thank you to all the Businesses that took part and made this fab day happen and also to Sinead and Saibh from the Irish Bloggers Agency that invited me along today.

Thank you for reading and hope you will be back again to read my future blog posts.

Don’t forget to come follow me on FacebookInstagram, Twitter and S2ubeautyblog on Snapchat.

Steph xXx

S2ubeauty&blog

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Catherine- UV Nail Polish

Catherine- UV Nail Polish

Catherina UV Nail Polish-Babyblue

So here I have a beautiful baby blue coloured Gel polish which I’m in love with, it is that prefect Cinderella blue, so pretty!

Nails done with Catherina UV Nail Polish-Babyblue

I have applied it to the natural nails as a 14 day gel manicure (shellac). After cleansing the nail of all the natural oils, I applied a base coat, 2 layers of this baby blue gel polish and then I finished with a layer of top coat. I was really impressed with how the gel applied, it was really smooth and creamy, the pigment was amazing after one layer I could have stopped it was that pigmented. Also there was absolutely no streaks.

The customer came back to me after 19 days and the nails were still prefect, apart from the normal regrowth and a chip on the index finger and thumb.

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This gel polish can be use with a UV lamp as well as a LED lamp. You will get 4.5ml of product and you can buy it from here.

Thank you for reading and hope you will be back again to read my future blog posts.

Don’t forget to come follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and S2ubeautyblog on Snapchat.

Steph xXx

S2ubeauty&blog

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I write reviews for Your Nail Magazine, this review was originally wrote for Sept 2015 Edition. I was gifted this polish but this review is my honest opinion on this product.

Glitter Express Polish-Blue Indigo

Glitter Express Polish- Blue Indigo

Glitter Express Nail Poish- Blue Indigo

This is quite a unique and interesting shade, the main colour is blue with a tint of pink which is all based in a clear polish. In the sun it is so sparkly, when I first saw this polish I was like a magpie, my eyes lit up like a child. I love anything with a bit of bling.

Glitter Express Nail Poish- Blue Indigo

I put on 2 coats of polish on over a base colour then a layer of top coat over that.

Here it is over a pink base Nail done with Glitter Express- Blue Indigo

and here is it over a aqua base Nail done with Glitter Express- Blue Indigo

It did take a while to dry but that is normal with the glitter polish because you put on a few layers it takes a bit longer to dry, also the brush was so easy to work with. I was really impressed with how long it lasted, I had it on nearly 2 weeks and it was still prefect. Taken it off was a bit of a pain though but again that is normal with glitter polish. One tip I could give to you to remove it, is to soak a pad in polish remover and press down on your nail for 60 seconds and you will see it just slide away.

Glitter Express Nail Poish- Blue Indigo

You can order these polishes from www.glitterexpress.co.uk you will get 11ml of product for £3.50 which works out to be €4.85.

Thank you for reading and hope you will be back again to read my future blog posts.

Don’t forget to come follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and S2ubeautyblog on Snapchat.

Steph xXx

S2ubeauty&blog

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I write reviews for Your Nail Magazine, this review was originally wrote for Sept 2015 Edition. I was gifted this polish but this review is my honest opinion on this product.

 

Provoc Manikit hand glove.

Provoc Manikit hand glove

Provoc Manikit hand glove

Hey beauties, hope you are all well.

Today’s blog post is all about the Provoc Manikit hand glove. Provoc Manikit is a hand glove that contains rich emollient moisture treatments, rose flower, shea butter, collagen and vitamin E which helps treat rough, dry and chapped hands and deeply penetrate with nutrients and moisturise immediately.

Each manikit pack contains one set of hand gloves which is for one use only and needs to be used once opened or they will dry out. Provoc Manikits are also cruelty free.

How to use:

1. Wash and disinfect hands,

2. Remove any nail polish from first hand,

3. File and shape your nails,

4. Put the glove on one hand,

5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 on second hand,

6. Remove precut finger tips after 5 to 10 minutes,

7. Work on manicure service,

8. Remove glove and massage remaining cream into hand,

9. Degrease the nails before painting,

10. Repeat steps 6 to 9 on second hand.

I had the gloves on for about 25 to 30 minutes in total, they smells so nice and they left my hands feeling so soft and looking so healthy afterwards. I would recommend this to everyone and in my opinion it is a beautiful addition to a manicure. Provoc also have a pedikit which after been so impressed with this I will definitely be buying. They are available from Here I know you can get cheaper but I think they are worth the money, saying that I haven’t tried the cheaper ones.

provoc-pedi-kit glove

Thank you for reading and hope you will be back again to read my future blog posts.

Don’t forget to come follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and S2ubeautyblog on Snapchat.

Steph xXx

S2ubeauty&blog

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Elite Munster Bloggers Network Event.

Elite Munster Bloggers Event

Hey beauties, hope you are all well.

Today’s post is all about Elite Munster Bloggers Network. So myself and Erin from Chasing Ruby Chat set up the Elite Munster Bloggers Network for all you lovely bloggers out there. Everything in relation to blogging always seems to be on in Dublin, there are never any events in Munster and brands have no idea that there are hundreds of bloggers here in Munster. So we wanted to have an event down the south and get to know all the other bloggers from around this region.

We started with Limerick (my home town and where Erin lives) where we are holding our first ever event on the 16th of August at The Strand Hotel In Limerick City. The event will run from 12.30 to 5.30. There will also be lots of fun after the event with The Strand Hotel doing up a very special ‘Bloggers Menu’ full of wonderful cocktails and treats!

What you can expect on the day is to have an brilliant day out with your follow bloggers and get an amazing goodie bag to take home and review on your blogs. We have some fabulous speakers including, a skincare specialist from Forever Living, a networking expert from BlueChief Social and most exciting Inglot are doing a Makeup Masterclass in which the MUAs will be showcasing two different looks. We will also have some brands there so that you can interact with the brands face to face, sample some of their products and get to know the brands a little better.

On top of all this, during the day I will be doing the nails for anyone that wants to get them done. I will be using all the SOSU range of nail polishes so it’s a good chance to try them out before buying. Please PM me on Facebook Here if you would like to book in for this.

We also of course have a goodie bag for all you bloggers full of wonderful surprises! But, wait for it…. as a once off exclusive bonus for all the bloggers that attend our event, Inglot will be giving an exclusive Pro Cards to each and every one of you. The Pro Cards allows you a 20% discount ALL THE TIME ON ANYTHING YOU BUY in any Inglot Store in Ireland. Usually this is only offered to fully qualified MUAs but Inglot are loving our little group.

Anyone can come to the event as long an your a blogger. You don’t have to be from Munster, it’s just that myself and Erin are based in Munster, and the events will be held in Munster.

It’s going to be a fabulous day so If you are a blogger and would like to come to the event, you can buy your tickets HERE. The Early Bird tickets are only €10 but will be ending by the 1st of August so hurry and get your ticket! The general tickets after that will be €20.

I really cannot wait, it’s set to be a fantastic day!!! Let me know if you are coming or if you have any questions at all about the day just mail me. All updates leading up to the event will be on our Facebook page Here.

Thanks for reading and hope to see you all there.

Don’t forget to come follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and also on Snapchat under S2ubeautyblog

Steph xXx

S2u Beauty&Blog

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette

Hey beauties, hope you are all well.
So I’m sure you all know by now that Urban Decay will be releasing a new eye shadow palette in the naked range called ‘Naked Smoky’ and oh my is it pretty! Their naked range is what they are so well known for and especially their naked 1, 2, and 3 eye shadow palettes.

urban decay naked smoky palette

This new palette will be released late July so only a few weeks away and I for one can’t wait.

urban decay naked smoky palette

There is going to be 12 eye shadows as normal in the naked palettes and 9 of these are going to be new. They have 3 different finishes which I love 4 shimmery, 4 satin and 4 matt. From left to right we have,

●high(new) shimmery

●dirtysweet(new) shimmery

●radar(vice2) shimmery

●armor(vice) shimmery

●slanted(new) satin

●dagger(new) satin

●black market(vice) satin

●smoulder(new) satin

●password(new) matt

●whiskey(new) matt

●combust(new) matt

●thirteen(new) matt

urban decay naked smoky palette

I really can’t wait for this to come out and I get my hands on it for real it looks amazing from the pictures and the colours are totally up my alley its not just all browns and gold’s I love that it has silvers and purples and nice cool toned colours.

Thank you for reading and hope you will be back again to read my future blog posts.

Steph xXx

S2ubeauty&blog

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The ITWBN 1st Birthday at The g Hotel!

ITWBN event at the g hotel

Hey Everyone!

I’m Finally getting around to doing this blog post on the amazing bloggers event I went to last Sunday (10/05/2015) with Into The West Blogger Network (ITWBN) at The g Hotel in Galway. This was my first time going to a itwbn event and I had so much fun, I really was like a child at Christmas. Happy Birthday ITWBN!

My name tag at the g hotel

The day started with me going to get my hair done at 9.30am then onto collecting my sister Tara of Tara Ryan Personal Blog at 10.30am and going straight over to collect Erin of Chasing Rubies Chasing Pearls at 11am. We were on the road then for Galway and arrived at The g hotel car park at 12.30pm. While driving I was asking Erin how these events work as she was at the last one and she tells me that your put at a table of 8 with other bloggers that I don’t know so you get to know more people. I was so so nervous about this, I just wanted to turn the car around and go home as I thought I would get to sit with my sister at a table together so I would at least know someone.

Once we got there we were greeted by a few other bloggers in the lobby and even though I was nervous I didn’t feel out-of-place. The decor in the hotel was out of this world I couldn’t but help take pictures.

Decor at the G hotel

We then queued up to enter the ball room and find our table and meet the people we were sitting with. I was at the table ‘Croagh Patrick’ with 5 other ladies. Olivia of The skinny doll, Pam of Pamslivelovefashion, Sue and Ellen of Su-Ellen-Blog, and beside me was the lovely Anna of Thyme to Eat. Anna was such a sweetie and put me right at ease once we got chatting.

Friend selfies at the ITWBN event

We had 4 guest speakers, First up was Sinead Burke of Minnie Melange who spoke about how and why she started her blog also how she fits everything in with her full-time teaching job and keeping real to herself. Then we had Deirdre from Castle Print who told us the importance of our brand and getting it just right to us. Next up was Wayne Denner of Youth and Digital Communicator who spoke about online reputation and how importance it is and how easy it can be ruined. Finally we had Karen of Karora who told us her journey on how she started such a successful company at just 19 years of age. I have to say she really inspired me.

The 4 guess speakers at the ITWBN

In between the speakers we had our lunch break and got amazing food from the g hotel restaurant sent out to all the tables.

Food at the g hotel

Anna and myself went to check out the pop up shops and got talking to the girls on most of the stalls. There was No7 from boots, The body shop, Cotton face, Amber, Insight Haircare and Debenhams where we got a little mini bag of goodies. Also Mez’s Masquerade had a photo booth with all their fun props where we got to take some cool pictures.

Pop up shops at the ITWBN eventAnna-Jane Kingston and Stephney Butler

Once back at the table waiting for the speakers to start again I really got to have a good look at what was in our goodie bags and my gosh I was so surprised with how much we got there as a fine big bag of stuff from No7, Boots, The body shop, So Fragrance, Tigerstore,Wet n Wild, Karora, Pixy, Isadora, Blank Canvas, Clarins, Versace, Memeoirs, Insight, The handmade soap company, Revive active, Osha, Holostic products and Anpucan.

Goodie Bag from the ITWBN event

Then just before it all ended and we got ready to head home, I got to meet the lovely Siobhan McDonnell of LetzMakeup and I have to say I was a little star struck I have watched her YouTube channel for so long and I’m a big fan.

Siobhan McDonnell and Stephney Butler

So all in all what started out as a nerve racking day, ended with me having a brilliant fun day out and totally inspired and motivated again. I most definitely will be going to all the event from now on, I’m really happy I have become part of the ITWBN family. If you are an Irish blogger I would highly recommend you join itwbn they are an amazing group and so supportive. So finally I would like to say a big THANK YOU to Sinead and Saibh for organising these events they both do an amazing job!

Sinead Carroll and Saibh Egan

Thank you for reading and hope you will be back again to read my future blog posts.

Steph xXx

S2u Beauty&Blog