Musical Madness!! (Dedicated to Brandon Cogley)

Hello everyone!

Today, I'm going to talk about something close to my heart. Something that has brought me together with some of the best friends I've ever had. Something that has given me the confidence to do different things. Something that has helped me in more ways than one. Musicals. 

This one word holds so much meaning for me. I never knew where I belonged really before I was introduced to the magic of the theatre. I was always that one girl in class that never had a place to express myself. I was never the sporty one. I was never the arty one. I was never the booky one. I didn't even realise that I was the drama one until I got to secondary school. And even then, it wasn't until I was 14 that I took part in my first musical (granted, it was only playing a few notes on the keyboard in the orchestra for a school production, but it was the beginning of everything for me!).

The first musical that I performed in was 'Annie.'  I was 15 at this stage and played one of the servants in Warbucks' mansion (I was Annette if I remember correctly!) and I loved every second of this show! I discovered how much I loved dancing and just being on stage in general! Being on the stage, even the small school stage we had, just made me feel happy and complete. I had never had this feeling before, not even when I discovered my love of piano and music. It was honestly one of the best things I ever did and I will always remember that musical for all the good reasons.

I soon joined my local youth theatre. I did a few workshops with them where we did some dances from 'Mary Poppins,' 'Grease,' 'Sister Act' and 'Hairspray.' We also did some singing and acting, all in preparation for the auditions for 'Beauty and the Beast.' Being a huge Disney fan, I was shocked to learn that this was one of the most successful Broadway musicals. This new found knowledge prompted me to discover more musicals through YouTube and listening to soundtracks and discovering musicals that are still my favourites today!

Being a member of this youth theatre has given me the opportunity to become involved in 5 amazing musicals! (For the record. I'm stating here that I have never had a lead role in any of these musicals, they were all chorus apart from one!) In 2011, I was involved in 'Beauty and the Beast' where I made some amazing friends that I still do musicals with today! I also got to dance around dressed as a spoon, but who's asking? 

The following year, we put on 'Wizard of Oz' and this was honestly one the most stressful shows for me so far! I experienced some very fast costume changes throughout the second act (I literally spent this whole act side stage stripping!!). But this was such a great experience for me, and I am forever thankful for being an Ozian, a Winky, a Jitterbug, back to a Winky and finally an Ozian in the space of one act!! 

2013 was a huge year for our small youth theatre. We secured the rights to 'Les Miserables!!' To be honest, I had seen one version of this show performed by a secondary school and I thought it was the most boring show ever! Ask me what I think about 'Les Mis' today, and I will tell you that it is in my Top 5 musicals!! This was such an honour to be a member of this wonderful cast and having the experience of being in a production of one of the most successful musicals in the world! It is definitely a show I will never forget the words to!!!

Last year, I worked behind the scenes for the production of 'Miss Saigon' and I can say now that I regret not being on stage for this spectacle of a show!! Which brings me on to this year where I am currently two weeks away from the opening night of 'West Side Story.' This show has been the most engaging musical I have ever been a member of. And I still love every minute of rehearsals and I cannot wait to get up on that stage!!

I guess I should talk about my experience in shows and drama in college. I dedicate this section of the post to my 'partner in crime' Brandon Cogley! I became a member of the drama society in college in first year and took part in the first annual Panto. This was my first time in a pantomine and it was the most fun I have ever had on stage! The following year (this year!) I was voted in as the Chairperson for our society! I was so excited for this experience and I got to spend it with one of my best friends, Brandon. I got the experience of directing a show and working behind the scenes for shows, which was something that I had never done before and will never take for granted again! And I must have been doing something right the whole year as the Drama Soc managed to secure two awards at our Clubs & Socs Ball, including Best Society! HON THE DRAMA SOC!!

So being a part of musicals has made me who I am today. I may look at the world differently because I'm so obsessed with musicals and theatre, but if I didn't, I wouldn't be me. Musicals are my life, and I would never change that for the world!!

Until next time.

Fifs xo

P.S. Here's my Top 10 musicals! It took a lot of thought and time to narrow it down to these ten!!

1. Billy Elliot

2. Wicked

3. Legally Blonde

4. Les Mis

5. Matilda

6. West Side Story

7. Little Shop of Horrors

8. Dogfight!

9. Hairspray

10. Oliver!

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcJiSrpzyYR_YGnVdqKo1nQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoife_doyle_x

Instagram: AoifeDoyle1995

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Just a Bit of Randomness...

Hello everyone!

How are you all doing? I hope your day is going very well and that you are all happy! 

I don't really know what I'm going to write in this post, but I just had the urge to write a blog post!! So bear with me as I try to come up with something worth while to publish. 

I have to say, I am really happy with the support I am getting from my friends with this blog. They've told me how proud they are of me for going through with this and that they have read it and they are really impressed with it! This support from the best people in my life is the reason that I have continued to write this blog for the last month regularly and not just drop it like all other blogs I have tried to write! It's also given me the confidence to promote the blog on my Instagram (I haven't gotten quite as far as Facebook yet, but time will tell!!). 

However, as great as this support and encouragement is, I would really love to hear some feedback from strangers!! It would be great to hear from someone who I don't know about what they think of my blog and what they would like me to write about. I'm not an English student (I'm a music student actually!) so coming up with ideas and forming coherent sentences are not my speciality, but writing this blog is something that has given me a purpose this summer. 

I've had a very tough time this summer - breaking up with my boyfriend of a year at the beginning of it, having more frequent panic attacks, finding out I have to repeat two exams, missing out on group adventures with my friends because of work - and having this blog has just made me feel like I'm actually doing something for myself this summer! I write this blog because it makes me feel happy; I've started making YouTube videos because it is something I've always wanted to try and I've discovered that I love it!

This is definitely not how I was expecting this blog post to go, but then again I didn't really have a theme in mind for it! I think what I'm trying to say is, thank you for actually reading this blog. Every morning, I check the stats on all my posts and see that they've gone up overnight. This is such a confidence boost! (even if it has only gone up by one or two..) Please leave a comment about what you think I should do with this blog. I've tried to do a bit of everything - beauty, make-up, lifestyle, randomness - but if there is anything you would like me to talk about, please let me know! 

Thank you so much for reading this far. If you have, leave a comment below with how you are feeling today! 

Until next time.

Fifs xo

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcJiSrpzyYR_YGnVdqKo1nQ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoife_doyle_x

Instagram: AoifeDoyle1995

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Night Out Make-Up!

Hello everyone!

I went out Friday night for a few drinks with some friends (not that you really needed to know that, or wanted to know for that matter!) and I quite liked my make-up that I did! So I've decided to share it with any of you that care to know. Here's how I did my face!! 

Prep:
I prepared my face the same way as always - going through my skincare routine after my shower and moisturising with the Nivea Q10 Energising Face Cream. I have stopped using the Simple moisturiser as a base because I found my make-up to be slipping off (if make-up can slip off....)

Foundation and Concealer:
For my foundation, I used my reliable MAC Studio Fix. I used about three pumps of this compared to my one and a half for everyday use as I wanted more coverage for a night out (and my skin is also very bad at the moment and is not cooperating with me!!). I buffed this all over my face using my Real Techniques buffing brush. I spent about five minutes blending this in as I went into the spare bedroom and had a chat with my Mam, while blending away. I then used my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer on my blemishes and redness and also the Rimmel Wake-Me-Up concealer under my eyes.

Eyebrows:
To set my brows in place, I used the Maybelline Brow Drama in dark blonde. I then went on with my usual brow routine (using some brown eyeshadow) and went over it again with the Brow Drama to make sure they were 'on fleek' (even if they weren't...a girl can dream though!!).

Eyeshadow: 
Now for the fun part - the eyes!! I prepped my eyelids with some concealer and took out my Naked 2 Palette (which has seen better days at this stage!). I tried to go for a smoky eye, but I'm not very good at it I've discovered. All over the lid, I used 'Suspect,' starting from the middle of the eye, working outwards and then back in. I used a mixture of 'Snakebite,' 'Pistol' and 'Busted' in the crease and outcorner. I blended this to avoid it looking yuck. I put some of 'Booty Call' into the inner corner for some highlight. 

Eyeliner:
I created a wing liner with my Rimmel Scandaleyes Precision liner. Nothing special here - it was just a simple winged liner!

Mascara:
I applied a coat of the Wet n' Wild Clear Mascara as a base before using the Essence LashMania False Lash Effect Mascara. I applied three coats to the top lashes, focusing on the outer corners for a fluttery effect, and one coat to the bottom lashes.

Powder, Contour, Highlight and Blush:
I finally bought some powder! I've gone back to an old reliable of mine that I had been using for years and had stopped using. So to powder my face, I used the NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Face Powder in Translucent. I contoured my face with the Collection Bronze Glow and used my Revlon highlighter. I used my Essence Silky Touch Blush in 010 Adorable.

Lipstick:
I went for a nude lip for a change and used my new Rimmel Kate Moss in 08. This is such a pretty nude colour and I think it's one of my new favourites!!

And there we have it! The make-up look I wore for a night out. I might do a video of this on my YouTube channel, but I haven't decided yet. So for now, here's some awkward angled photos of the make-up look!

Until next time.
Fifs xo

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Food Diary 3 - Healthy Eating??

Hello everyone!

Today, I've decided to just do a little food diary. I had a pretty busy day so I knew I wouldn't be able to write a proper blog post, but I still wanted to put something up. And I always find that I eat healthier when I decide to blog what I ate in a day and the presentation always looks nicer as well. So here we go... my attempt at eating healthy! 

Breakfast:

For breakfast this morning, I made myself a fruit salad. In it I had strawberries, banana, a doughnut peach (which are possibly the juciest peaches ever!!) and some honey. I also had a slice of wholemeal toast, a glass of water with a slice of lime and a slice of lemon in it (anyone know why lemon floats but lime sinks??) and a cup of tea. 

Lunch:

For lunch, I had some Tuc crackers, some cheddar cheese and a few grapes. I didn't want to have a big lunch as I knew we would be having an early dinner. I also had a bottle of water on hand.

Dinner:

I was very impressed with my dinner today, and proud of myself for making it all myself! While Mam busied herself with making dinner for herself and Dad, I decided to have some sweet potato fries, a chicken fajita with peppers and red onion, and some salad. I had flavoured the fajita mix with spices and honey and it was absolutely delicious!! 

I had a small dessert to help my sweet tooth. I had a small portion of rice pudding and custard heated up and it was amazing, although the picture doesn't do it justice!!

So there we have it - what I ate today! I usually have something to eat in the evening/night time, but I had a two hour rehearsal and I just wanted to publish this post and go to bed. So now that I have this up, it's time for some rest and sleep!!

Until next time.
Fifs xo

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Rehearsal Essentials!

Hello everyone!

Today I am going to talk about something that might not suit everyone (but it might suit a lot of people!) These are things that I bring or wear to musical rehearsals!

First off, I think I should explain my musical theatre journey. I am in my local youth theatre, and have been for the past five years. This will be my fourth show with them and I am currently one of the longest running members of the group (makes me feel so old!!). This year, we are doing the amazing musical West Side Story which includes a lot of dancing!!!

So for rehearsals, which are mainly dance rehearsals, I like to wear leggings and a loose fitting top. I find that the leggings work better than tracksuit bottoms for jumps and kicks. The loose fitting top is so that if I start to get too hot, my top isn't sticking to me. I also bring a hoodie with me (usually the show's hoodie, but we don't have them yet!) just in case we stop dancing and do a bit of singing, or if it's just cold.

For footwear, I just wear my converse. As I generally dance in my socks, the shoes I wear don't really matter. However, I will soon have to start going to rehearsals with the shoes I will be wearing in the show, which are small black heels with a strap (think costume dance shoes!).

I can't go anywhere without make-up, even if there is a chance of me sweating it off. For rehearsals, I wear a tinted moisturiser (I mix my Simple moisturiser with my Rimmel Wake-Me-Up) and concealer where I need it. I then powder this with talc (because I've run out of powder - whoops) and apply one coat of mascara. I then use my rose tinted Vaseline on my lips and I'm ready to go!

Things I bring in my bag are a spare hair-tye, body spray, whatever song lyrics I need, and water. Water is the main thing I need for rehearsals. If I forget anything else, I don't care! As long as I have a full bottle of water! I find that water is extremely important for this show as there's a lot of fast dancing and high note singing (even though I am an alto - that's a low female voice for those who aren't familiar with the terms).

I am thoroughly enjoying the show this year. West Side Story has been one of my favourite musicals for years and I am so happy that I get to be a part of a production of it! 

Until next time.

Fifs xo

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An Evening with Children

Hello everyone!

This evening, I was babysitting my three cousins and next door neighbour for a few hours. These four kids are extremely hyper and loud when they get together, so I had to keep them entertained and make sure they weren't bored.

So we went baking! I had made the Tanya Burr cookies for my cousin's birthday, and they wanted to help make some more. Sometimes it's great having help while baking, but having four little helpers can be quite difficult! However, we got through it and managed to make 15 amazing cookies with nutella and marshmallows in the middle!!

I gave the kids control of the music during our baking session. The three girls went against the one boy and chose Disney Princess songs, and soon enough we were all dancing and singing along to our favourite Princesses! I was extremely proud when they then chose my musical playlist and knew all the words to the songs from Hairspray, Les Mis and Little Shop of Horrors!! It's good to know I've influenced them in some way ;)

They then disappeared to the sitting room to play their own little game while the cookies were in the oven (leaving me to tidy up after our baking experience!!) However, hearing them laugh and using their imagination helped me to forgive them for leaving me with the tidy up. It made me think back to when I was younger and would play imaginary games with my friends and cousins. 

Letting them off to play on their own also gave me a chance to catch up on my YouTube subscriptions. However, every so often, a little head would pop around the corner looking suspicious. But when asked what they wanted, they would reply with 'nothing' in their innocent voice and run away. The girls must have ganged up on the boy as he finally came out to the kitchen and asked me could they have one of the cookies yet. When I answered 'yes,' all three girls came running into the kitchen!! It's the simple things that keep them quiet and entertained, such as chocolate...

They've just gone home now and I'm here in the kitchen typing this up, eating one the cookies (with a rolo on top!!) and drinking a well deserved cup of tea. 

Whenever I mind these kids, it always makes me think back to my childhood and the fun I had with my Barbies and teddies, making up a town for the Barbies and playing school with the teddies. Nostalgia has kicked in for the night and I'm off to watch some Pokémon before I go to bed!!

Until next time.

Fifs xo

P.S. Be sure to check out my YouTube channel! (shameless self-promotion, I know!!)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcJiSrpzyYR_YGnVdqKo1nQ

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Morning Routine

Hello everyone!

Today, I'm going to go through my Summer morning routine (with a little announcement at the end of this post!!)

So I usually wake up and lie in bed for a while checking my social media (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat etc.) I then get up and make my bed. I tie my hair up out of my face and make my way up to the kitchen.

On this particular morning, I had two weetabix with milk, strawberries and honey. I made myself a coffee (which I sweeten with honey rather than sugar) and sat down and watched an episode of Pretty Little Liars.

I go down to the bathroom after tidying up after breakfast and brush my teeth and go through my morning skincare routine (which can be found in a previous blog post). I go into my bedroom, do my makeup (which can also be found on a previous blog post) and get dressed.

I then go about my day and do what I have to do (which generally consists of YouTube, blogging, Facebook, rehearsals....)

Also, I have decided to take the plunge and start a YouTube channel!! It has taken me so long to get the courage to do this and I am so proud of myself for finally doing it! My first video (June Favourites) was originally going to be a blog post, but I decided it would work better as a video. So please take a look at it and subscribe, leave a comment etc. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcJiSrpzyYR_YGnVdqKo1nQ

Until next time.

Fifs xo

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