Feeling sweet.

I'm sure my last post with it's depressing as fuck playlist may have made many of you aware of my bad mood recently. A combination of stress, research crazies, natural maudlin tendencies and everyone in my close circle of friends being super-busy at the moment has made for a not-so-happy Colette.

And then Friday happened. My presentation of my dissertation research went pretty well, I went for an awesome lunch in the Silk Road Cafe in the Chester-Beatty Library(which is actually a museum and is also awesome) with my classmates, had a craft beer, wandered 'round the exhibition and had the major chats. Then I went home to my family home for the weekend where new perfume, hugs and craic awaited. I showed my parents the little profile on me that had been published in a national newspaper (the Irish Independent) that day. Then showed many subsequent relatives.

Le article

I had a homemade, Mammy-made dinner. That night we had a long evening of laughter and lols. And then today my Bro, Mam and I cooked, watched Come Dine with Me and I got some makeup bargains.

So, I guess my sweetened mood might explain the much cuter and girlier outfit I wore today. I've gotten quite minimalistic in my old age but today I was drawn to bows, collars and lace. The top was the basis for the outfit, a gift I got from Mammy last time I was home. It's from Primark but the fit and shape are amazing! A crochet faux Peter Pan collar is built into the neckline and the three quarter sleeves are finished in crochet trims. The jeans are my favourite Topshop boyfriends that are waayyy too big but so comfy. They tame the outfit from being too twee, I think, while the cropped length go with the summery theme. The espadrille wedges are from River Island and have bows but while they add to sweet girliness, they too are tamed by restraint in the continuation of the navy tones which are also echoed in the vintage navy leather bag I robbed from Mam ages ago. All the navy adds a nautical twist which again nods to summer. To finish it off I added a Peter Pan collar necklace made from sequins - for that last splash of cute. I think, overall, there's a nice balance of my two modes of dressing here - cutesy and restraint.

OOTD, ahoy. (Geddit?) In order to photograph this look, I went for an adventure in the garden. God, I've missed this green. 

(10 points if you laughed)

(I did)

This photo is by Daddy. You go, Daddy.

Christmas Gift Guide - Part III - Food and Drink.

I like eating. And drinking things too. Here's some suggestions for tasty gifts.

1. Seasonal beer/Hampers.

There's a pretty decent selection on Amazon. I've chosen this Spirit of Christmas Gift for £18.50 and Brewdog's Punk IPA Gift Set for £8.99. Most good off licences do up little selections or hampers as well and there are plenty of beer subscription sites if whoever you're buying for is seriously into their beer.

2. Cheese!

M&S do an awesome plate which supposedly serves 15-20 people. To me, that sounds like it'll serve me 15-20 times. It retails at £25.00 and can be bought in stores or online.

3. Lindor.

I'm crazy for Lindor and when I first saw their Maxi Ball, I fell in love a little. I know there's one waiting for me in my stocking and I'm gonna bet many other people would be happy to be in the same position. They cost thirteen euro and are available in Superquinns, Supervalus, and other stores nationwide. 

5. Coffee Angel.

Daniel and I went to a talk about Coffee Angel at Electric Picnic a couple of years ago. I'm not a coffee drinker (which makes Italians despair) but I gather this is good coffee and good coffee equipment. They have several locations in Dublin and you can buy this great kit with a grinder, aeropress and single-origin coffee for 64.95e. 

6. Lorina Pink Lemonade.

I'd bathe in the stuff if I could...no, wait, that'd be a waste...never mind. Still, I think a few bottles with a cute bow would be a lovely gift. Lorina usually retails around 3 quid a bottle but there's often deals, so keep an eye out! 

7. Dunnes Ice Cube tray.

I love giving anything heart-shaped to people I love. I'm kinda cheesy like that. Ergo, this ice cube tray. A cute stocking-filler retailing at 5 quid, it'll save money on buying ice. Which I just don't agree with. At all.

8. Avoca Cookbooks.

This trio of cookbooks from Avoca can be bought online or in stores for 26.95e. As well as being cute, they contain deliciousness that any previous visitors to the cafe wouldn't mind having in their home.

9. Where Chefs Eat.

This book from Phaidon is a great idea for serious foodies and can be found in most bookstores, online and in Urban Outfitters. It's a pretty thick volume and designed beautifully so I think the twenty quid pricetag is pretty good value.

10. Nik's Tea.

Best green tea, hands down, that I've ever had. I'm IN LOVE with this brand! It's Irish and can be found in food stores like Liston's, Fallon and Byrne and online and retails around 4 euro. 

BONUS IDEA: Man of Aran Fudge.

This crap is AMAZING. My brother and I used to eat it to stave off boredom when we went to my sister's Irish dancing competitions and it was salvation. I had some recently and it did not disappoint. Like several entries on this list, it's Irish and buying Irish is something we should all be doing as much of as possible. (Even if you're from elsewhere - it all helps!) You can buy gifts of a selection of their 23 different flavours and they're all great. I actually can't say enough good things about this brand. Prices start at just 4.60e.

MY GOD. IT'S BEAUTIFUL.

Fluffy slippers as an accessory?

I spent most of the day in an outfit inspired by stereotypically slobby middle-aged men in the white wife-beater - quite trailer trash - but I gave it a fashion twist. Both the tank and shirt are oversized River Island attire at its best. Often their clothes are cooler when bought in larger sizes and worn in a more relaxed way and I love playing with traditional wardrobe staples that are worn at unusual lengths or with different silhouettes. I'm photographed here in my favourite fluffy slippers reading Dubliners upside-down (the idea of my brother/photographer for the day) and sipping a really awesome Japanese beer (Kirin Ichiban) that we had with our fancy family dinner. The overall effect is a confused mish-mash of literature, fancy beers, fashion and slobbiness. I could have put on real shoes for the photo but I like what the slippers brought to the outfit.

The Architecture-Perv is foiled.

These are photos from our lunch (there I go using that word again) in Bantry House. Sadly, I didn't get to architecture-perv on the inside, as shortly after eating we had to run to a pub to catch the moment that all of Ireland rejoiced. I'm positive it'll become Katie Taylor day - A national holiday to celebrate something going right for the country. However, I guess rushing off wasn't so bad as the match was the most nerve-racking eight minutes of my life, followed by my being a patriotic old saddo and crying in public. (Just a little though. I'm not that much of a sack.) Also, there are worse places to be than in a pub with your family for one of those events that people will continue to look back on and remember exactly where they were and what they were doing. Before our quick departure I managed to have an amazing sausage roll, good beer, great crisps and a lemon drizzle cake that induced all kinds of inappropriate noises. And I got to perv on the outside of the building and the grounds.

I was looking kind of polished for once, in a smart, menswear inspired outfit consisting of a cream vintage blazer, tweedy/sporty Topshop shorts, a navy shirt with awesome collar the same colour as the blazer and silver tips and my beloved peep-sneaks.