I can't believe I can finally say I've graduated! I. Aoife Caitriona. Have. Graduated!!!!

I was so nervous and scared in my first year of uni especially as I moved to a new town and knew no one there. If I could send a message to my past self, here's what I would say...

Dear Aoife,

You are about to embark on one of the biggest journeys you'll make in life; University. And you'll smash it! I know this because you graduated today with first class honours and in true style, at the top of your class with 76%. And you won best student on your course! 

I am so proud of everything you have done to take advantage of this opportunity and follow through on your dreams. You never once gave up on your focus or what you're passionate about. Oh, and those Jimmy Choo's you're lusting after? You got them and strutted across the stage looking like a woman who's got her sh*t together. Just a heads up, you're almost there!

You will have the most adventurous three years of your life. Sorry, that was the nicest way I could phrase it. I won't sugarcoat anything but you'll spend your first year feeling alone (but receiving your first piece of blogger mail!), second year living with a psycho (and spending all your money on train tickets home) and third year *finally* feeling confident in yourself. 

All those nerves you are feeling are completely normal but find excitement in them. That feeling of loneliness you feel I'm sorry to say is one you'll get used to but it get's easier. Use that time to create. To blog. To film content. To have fun and make friends. The last one might take a little while to do but at the end you'll have a gang of girls who'll stick by you.

Nothing in life comes easy but you've been working hard all your life. Just remember to enjoy it and live in the moment! Make the most of the not-so-good times and turn them into a positive. Be passionate and stay true to yourself.

Love, Aoife xo

I have never been prouder of myself for not only completing university but graduating with first class honours and at the top of my course! I'm not much of a boastful person but I'm going to give myself this moment to celebrate my achievements.

The day itself was wonderful and it felt great to finally be able to celebrate. I wore a stunning baby blue Reiss dress with the pair of Jimmy Choo's I promised myself I'd wear when I graduate on my feet. We travelled down to Portsmouth for the ceremony and to take pictures before finishing the day at The Ivy in the Lanes in Brighton.

Some of my favourite moments at university:

- Getting dressed up to go to the Chancellor's ball at Portsmouth Guildhall in first year. This was my first official outing at university and we went with the magazine society. My friend and I dressed up for the event and kept ourselves entertained by creating stories for the people in the pictures placed along the Guildhall's corridor.

- Taco night with my flatmates in third year. We made our own fresh salsa and put the leftovers in a tub in the fridge. Despite it being in a somewhat airtight container, the fridge stunk of onion for the next week. Even the red velvet cakes we baked had a weird onion aroma.

- Going to the gym for the first time. During first year, I would go to the gym in my friend's building. I went a little hard in one of the sessions and my body ached the next day. I sent a very dramatic text to another friend complaining I couldn't move and go on anymore; she still hasn't let me live it down.

- Appearing on BBC Radio 4's Today show. I only managed to say about ten words but hello, I spoke on national radio! 

- Getting an internship at Marie Claire and then working as a freelancer. Some of you may know working at a fashion magazine has been a dream since I picked up my first issue of Glamour. I started off as a summer intern and was asked to come back to help over Black Friday. I loved the team I worked with and I learnt my value as a professional here too.

I still have to pinch myself that I own these stunning shoes!

I'm the type of person that when I set myself a goal, I will do everything I possibly can to reach it. Around five years ago, in my first year of university, I made a promise to myself that when I graduated I was going to be wearing a pair of Jimmy Choo Lance heels. And I kept it.

I fell in love with these shoes when I first saw them in Fifty Shades Darker. And I know what you must be thinking but aside from me loving the design, I also loved what these represented. Throughout the films, Ana goes on a journey into womanhood. If you take her clothes from the first film as a shy, young college student and compare them to the second and third film, you see her transition into a more confident professional woman. I loved how the costume designer unraveled that on screen. 

What I love most about these shoes is the elegance and sophistication these shoes exude. The delicate thin straps wrap and curve around the foot. The arch lifts the foot. This is not your average strappy sandal. This could very easily be a very sexy shoe but I think it still carries a sense of innocence with it. 

These shoes kept me going through the tougher times at uni and gave me something to look forward to. Some people buy themselves a Tiffany necklace or a Rolex watch to celebrate an achievement, I buy designer shoes.

Buying them was not an easy thing. I very almost missed out as they had gone on sale and practically sold out. I think Jimmy Choo have actually discontinued the style so I'm really happy to have got them when I did. I remember searching for them online in my size and coming up virtually empty handed. They’d sold out everywhere online and pretty much in all the available retailers in London and Birmingham. Except for one store. I rang the store when they opened the following morning and asked if they’d be able to put the shoes aside for me so I could collect them after work. They did and I collected them at the end of the day.

Considering I’d fallen more in love with these shoes through the images they had on the website, they were everything I thought they would be in real life. I feel like they are even better in person because you can feel the leather and craftsmanship that you can't feel online. 

I feel so empowered wearing them and even more so, knowing how hard I worked during university. I think these would make the perfect date shoe and I'm excited to wear them again. As my first luxury designer purchase, I couldn't be more happier!

Love, Aoife xo

It’s been a while since my last foundation review and an even longer time since I actually wore any. #Masklife has made wearing makeup almost redundant. When I graduated a couple months back, I decided to treat myself to some new foundation that I could wear on the day and as I started to go out more.

The foundation reminds me of Estee Lauder’s Double Wear Water Fresh foundation -which I think has been discontinued. Chanel's Vitalumière Aqua has a watery base that allows it to spread easily and sit perfectly on my skin.

Originally, I was planning on buying the Les Beiges foundation but I preferred the feel of the Vitalumière Aqua. It provides a very light coverage but is buildable. If you’re looking for a medium coverage to cover blemishes, this might not be one for you. 

The bottle is sold as 30ml for £36 and has SPF 15. I bought the shade 21 Beige. You can’t always rely on the SPF in foundation so I use Garnier’s Ambre Solaire Face Fluid and top up coverage later in the day with the Over Makeup Mist spray.

I really like the satin-like finish and how my skin glows. I’m the type of person who doesn’t like the look or feel of foundation sitting on top of my skin. This blends in and dries so well, it’s hardly noticeable. 

The consistency is quite runny -it is water based after all- so I’m quite careful in applying it. I think it’s thinner than the Double Wear one. I’ve found that it’s important to have a hydrated base otherwise the foundation is at risk of caking and separating. I tend to pack in the moisture before I apply by using a little Aquafor to help create a tacky base.

The little booklet inside the box recommends applying it with your fingers for best results, which is great if you forget to wash your makeup brushes! It makes sense as well considering it’s water based and you are at risk of losing a lot of product by using brushes and sponges.

The one thing I will say is I haven’t yet mastered putting anything over the top of the foundation such as concealer or blush. As the foundation dries in a thin layer, you are at risk of rubbing it away so I think a liquid blusher would suit best. It’s the type of foundation that sells itself for creating a minimal barely-there look. I don’t think you’ll be able to use it for a full face beat.

I really like Chanel’s Vitalumière Aqua foundation. It’s definitely on the pricier side so is more of a luxury item. I’d consider buying it again if I feel like it’s something I want to spend that type of money on. I may need to increase my budget if it's something I want to make a regular appearance in my makeup collection. At the end of the day, it’s a very lightweight water-based foundation that provides light buildable coverage. It works for me because I prefer a minimal make up look and it suits my needs. 

Love, Aoife xo

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel came out in 2018 and has been on my list for a while. It’s been raved about and I’ve been curious to know what it is about the book that has people so engrossed.

What’s is about (taken from the blurb):

Reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself.

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

My thoughts:

When I picked up this book to read, I did not expect what I would find. I read the whole book in one sitting, eager to find out more about the mysterious Evelyn Hugo. There were so many questions that I had and I loved the way Reid kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the book. Even when a question was answered, another one cropped up.

The book is divided into sections, with each section dedicated to one of the seven husbands. And each sections defines a period in Evelyn’s life. The story and narration flows really well as it switches between the present (Monique’s voice) to past (Evelyn’s voice).

When the book starts, we first meet Monique Grant, a journalist working for a niche magazine. In the entirety of the book, I sympathised with Monique who had been brought on to write the biography of Evelyn Hugo but had so many questions she couldn’t get answers to. What Monique knew and didn’t know was dictated by Evelyn.

Evelyn was an interesting character. She was someone who had lived a life of highs and lows but still struggled with her own identity. At times I sympathised for Evelyn for parts of her life. However, I did think some of her actions were self-inflicted which played with whether she was a likeable or unlikable character. 

The novel ended semi-abruptly -in that you knew things were finishing but you still wanted more- and I think that’s part of the charm of the book and skill of Reid. Evelyn Hugo in her prime was a mysterious woman in the spotlight that people were drawn to and Reid managed to mirror that feeling in the reader.

Overall, I loved this book! Sitting here and writing this review, I’m trying to work out what it is about that I loved. Was it the rawness of Hugo's glamorous and scandalous life? Was it that everything was not as it seemed? Or was it that as the reader you’re questioning who is the real Evelyn Hugo? Regardless of what it was, Reid takes you on a journey of emotions and ties everything up in a neat little bow at the end.

Love, Aoife xo

Love, Aoife xo

It's my 100th post on Aoife Caitriona! To mark the occasion, I thought I'd do a Get To Know Me tag but in the style of Vogue's 73 questions. Enjoy x