Miss Tourism World: National Costume

One of my biggest stresses for Miss Tourism World was  trying to sort out a national costume. A national costume needs to be something that represents your country but also something that really stands out on stage. When I thought about an elaborate stage costume the first company I thought of was Love Jewles x.
Love Jewels is a fairly recent business venture set up by one of Ireland’s leading make up artists Julie Caufield. I first met Julie when we worked on a shoot together a few years back, she’s really creative so I wasn’t surprised at all when I saw she had expanded her creativity into costume design. Love Jewel’s is really unique and is filling a gap for high end costumes and customised pieces in the Irish market. Whether it be  for a dancer costume, a stage show, a fancy dress costume, or something a bit different for a photo shoot love jewels will have you covered with their extensive range.

One of Love Jewels more elaborate costumes, perfect for a shoot!

This one would look great as a dancer costume.

Stunning Julie models some of her custom studded bras (these can be made to order)

I called over to Jules house for a fitting and we tried on a few costumes. In the end we decided to go with a sparkly emerald green dress and the theme of my costume could be the emerald Isle.

I themed it with a black cloak, green necklace and a green shamrock embellished headband, I really loved the quality of this dress and I thought it really stood out and sparkled on stage, especially against the black.

Backstage with Ms Lebanon

On stage

In Bangkok Scene Magazine.

My shoes for the pageant where provided by my favourite online store NoPolka.com, if your a regular reader of my blog you will have seen me blog about nopolka before, I use them alot and find their online service to always be quick and very reliable. The shoes they provided me with for the pageant where great because they where super high with a 6.5inch heel (meaning they gave me that extra bit of height on stage) but still comfortable to walk in so that I didn’t have to worry about tripping or having sore feet during the show.

I love the suede effect and the red sole, I think it gives these shoes a really classic designer look. Nopolka are my go to brand for shoes and  these stunning heels are currently reduced to a bargain €39.19, unbeatable value! Unfortunately they don’t have many sizes left, but don’t worry there are plenty of other similar amazing bargain heels on the Nopolka website.

I really loved my national costume and thought it was a cool twist on the Irish theme, using two great Irish costume/clothing company’s. You can check it out in the video of the Miss Tourism World final below.
Until next time,
Aoife X

Getting Ready for Miss Tourism World: Eyelash Extensions

Before I start my review of the eyelash extensions I have to say that having them whilst on my trip really did make all the difference!  There was so many early starts for press calls and photo ops, some mornings I was up at 6 but we had to go with light make up because we’d be getting our makeup and hair done a few hours later however there was a constant group of photographers and press following us around so obviously we where all still concious about how we looked, and it is hard to feel you look good at 6am make up free ! Having extensions on my eyelashes really made me feel much more confident on these days as they just made my eyes look so much more awake and made it easier to go make up free.

My eyelashes where done by La Prima Rosa in Celbridge and they really did such a great job, the eyelashes looked so natural and they felt so soft. They where so well done that I was stopped by about 10 different in the airport on the way to thailand (Including the girls in the MAC shop who couldn’t believe they weren’t my own). The lashes they use in La Prima Rosa are mink meaning they are very fine and soft and I think this is why they blend so seamlessly with your own lashes, they then spend roughly an hour applying them until you get your desired effect (I went for a very full look).

Heres a pic of the lashes after 3 weeks.

I would definitely recommend eyelash extensions from La Prima Rosa, they did such a brilliant job on mine and they lasted for 4 weeks. I was surprised with how long I got out of them considering I was having my make up done then removed later and redone again most days throughout my trip to thailand so they where put under alot of strain but they lasted! 5 stars from me!

You can check out more from La Prima Rosa on their facebook page, or call them on 01 6279812 for an appointment.
Until next time,
Aoife X

Miss Tourism World: Dresses

I know I haven’t updated my blog for awhile but that’s mostly because I’ve been super busy with preparations for my Trip to Thailand as Miss Tourism Ireland at Miss Tourism World 2012.
The trip was so amazing and was really one of the best experiences of my life I’m so happy and proud to have represented Ireland at an international pageant and I learned so much while I was there that I will never forget.
Now that I’m home I’m going to have loads to blog about from hair to make up to the different trips I went on while there, but I thought Id start off with a post about my fabulous dresses that where all sponsored by Glitterati Boutique.
Glitterati Boutique is located in Wexford (don’t worry if that’s not near you they have couriers!) and specialises in dress rentals, I love the idea of dress rental stores as I can’t even count how many times I’ve gotten a new dress, wore it once and then left it hanging in my wardrobe untouched for an eternity! So wasteful but we’re all guilty of it, dress rental stores stop this wasteful habit and mean you can wear stunning designer dresses at a fraction of their original price!
Glitterati sponsored my dresses for the entire trip to Thailand, so I wore their dresses to all the major events I attended aswell as the actual pageant  They gave me 7 dresses all together, 4 cocktail and 3 evening gowns and I really Loved all of them. Here’s a look at the pieces I wore.

Cocktail Dresses 

First up is the Alice & Olivia ‘Ryan Tank Dress’, I wore this one for my introductory press call for Miss Tourism World. I love the colour of this one its such a simple dress but the colour really makes it pop!

I choose this White studded shoulder Angel Biba dress to take me from day tonight, with a press call in the night and then dinner on a river cruise through Bangkok in the evening.

I wore this stunning black sequence Rachel Gilbert number for press photos and interviews after the pageant in the Siam Niramit courtyard.

Last but not least I wore this lovely girly French Connection embellished dress to Bangkoks famous Red Ant restaurant. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find the press pics of the night online but I took a quick snap in the dress in my room before I went out.

Evening Dresses

The first of the 3 evening dresses was this white sequenced Rachel Gilbert gown. I wore this one for my pre judging, interview with the judges and shooting a commercial for some Asian beauty products.

I wore this famed Orange Halston dress (the same one worn by Miss Carrie Bradshaw in the SATC Movie) for a trip around Bangkok before dinner (Unfortunately the same day as Red Ant, I can’t  find any press pics from this day!)

Last but not least is my favourite of all the dresses and the one I wore for the Miss Tourism World final, this amazing Jovani crystal encrusted gown. Everyone commented on it from contestants to judges and told me how much of a show stopper they all thought it was. I couldn’t have been happier with my dress for the final I really loved it and thought it was so unique and really stood out.

All in all I would definitely recommend Glitterati Boutique, Denise who owns the shop is such a nice girl and so lovely to deal with and the quality of the dresses she has in stock are amazing. Five stars from me!
You can contact Glitterati Boutique via their facebook page, or call them on 086 066 9771
You can catch repeat broadcasts of Miss Tourism World on Fox, fashion TV (america and europe) and channel 7 (thailand).
Until Next time,
Aoife X