Saturday, May 31, 2014

Look up from your phone, shut down your display..

Whenever I see people share videos on social media I rarely click in to them, mainly because I tell myself 'no, I'm getting off my phone now anyway', yet I'm still scrolling aimlessly half an hour later. But, this morning I did click in to this video, and it really hit home. I am very guilty of being part of the zombie nation of social media dummies who documents their entire day through snapchat, Instagram and twitter, yet, when my grandmother asks me how my day went I can sum it up in about two sentences. At music festivals or concerts nearly every person in the crowd is holding up a phone, are we totally missing the point of it being 'live'? And when have you ever looked at those videos a few months after? If you look around a train, bus , the streets, or even your own sitting room you will see people with their heads buried in their phones/iPads/computers but, the chances are you won't see this because you are doing the exact same thing. I fear that since owning on iPhone my attention levels have rapidly decreased. I become bored after minutes, seconds maybe. I struggle to watch television or hold a lengthy conversation without checking my phone for notifications every ten minutes. In a world full of people searching for appreciation and acceptance from social media we are missing out on receiving it from real people..As it says in the video below 'Give people your love, not your like'. I know this is VERY deep, and I know it's only 10am on a Saturday. I also realise that I used my phone to write this, but, just watch this video, it really is incredible and to be honest, a little frightening. Ok, that's my rant over, I suppose what I'm trying to get at is, when we look back at our lives we won't recall the instagrammed picture of our lunch or that time we got RT by someone famous, we'll remember the people.. 

I need a cup of coffee. 

And I won't Instagram it, although it will be hard not too. 

Elisha x :) xo 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

My first piece for Mayo.today.ie!

Hello, This is my first piece fir Mayo.Today.ie! I'm thrilled to be joining the team! For those of you who don't know me I'm a fashion blogger from Ballina and each week I will be talking about topics which I am very passionate about such a fashion, beauty, skincare and nutrition. This week I'll be talking about my main passion- Fashion, this was taken partially from one of my cery first blog posts and it is one of my favourite ones I've written. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 


'The World needs some excitement from fashion'


Here I quote the inspirational French Designer, Christian Lacroix. 
Never a truer word was spoken. In a world filled with angst, sadness, 'recession', and constant bad news filling our televisions and papers it has become second nature to accept the world as the media has painted it. However it's not all that bad is it? There will always be bad news, there will always be sad, heartbreaking stories, but if we are to focus on everything negatively, we may as well throw in the towel now. I'm quite a positive person, a trait that sometimes means I ignore problems and brush them under the carpet until it may be too late to resolve them; but I do generally try to have a positive outlook on life. As a wise person once said 'we're here for a good time not a long time'. That's not to say we should all ignore everything tough in life and live in some fantasy world- no, because then you miss out on the real world around you. What I am trying to say is that, we have control of certain things in our life, and style to most people is one of those things. Life is a bitch. Sorry to be blunt but it is. Maybe I'm mad, but, clothes are the one thing that will cheer me up when I've had a bad day. Fashion should be fun, and if you wear clothes with confidence than there really are no rules, only comfort. It is possibly my defiant nature which I was born with that influences my style, I don't follow trends religiously because I hate being told what to do, in most aspects in life! I love trying out new things, and just because something is 'out of fashion' will never make me not wear or buy it if I really like it. I'm not saying I'm always right in my choices- far from it- but I can honestly say that I can look back at all my outfits without regret because at the time they made me feel great! Trends are fickle and they come and go leaving women with empty purses and full wardrobes of clothes that may not even be their style. I'm all for trying anything out but why should we let fashion dictate what we have to wear? Fashion should not be a set of rules you must follow four times a year, but more so a set of choices for you to choose what suits you. It should also be fun, and as the saying goes 'life is too short to wear boring clothes'.

Now if any of ye have made it down to this point thanks for reading, and the moral is to just have fun with fashion, don't get too hung up on trends, and take risks, who cares if you look back in ten years and bury your hands in your head?! I once worse PURPLE leather trousers and a PINK SNAKESKIN leather jacket TOGETHER. I was 11, but still, and although I cringe looking at it, at the time I thought I looked gorgeous and it made me happy so really that's all fashion us about. Wearing what makes you happy. 

Until next week, 
Til debt do us part, 

Elisha :) xo 

Www.mayo.today.ie

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

The Aussie Blog Awards- and my plea.....!

I received an Aussome (see what I did there?) package this morning from The lovely people at Her.ie, Aussie Hair, and Burrell PR inviting me to enter the Aussie Blog awards! It was VERY exciting for me, because, as most of you know,I've only been blogging since September, so I was thrilled to even be on the radar! Now, this is where I need your help. If you like my blog, and would like to see me nominated for any of the categories PLEASE nominate me by following the link below. I swear it only takes about one minute and it would mean the absolute world to me...
Here are the details you need: 


Blog Name- Alongcamepollly (remember 3 L's!) 
URL- www.alongcamepollly.blogspot.com
Contact details: alongcamepollly@gmail.com

I assume you can also enter your own email?

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. 

Also thank you for your continued support, none of this would actually be possible without you reading my posts....THANK YOU. 

:) 


Til Debt do us part, 

Elisha xo :) 

Summer Wishlist Vol.1

Ok, so, I know it doesn't seem like it looking outside today, but summer is officially here. This means a few things: denim shorts in abundance, flower crowns, cold drinks, music festivals (ahhhhh), and of course impending debt due to all of these things plus all of the amazing clothes in shops and online at the moment! You probably know by now that I like shopping, (never) as does every girl in the entire world. Every year I do the exact same thing: I trawl sites and shops to find the perfect summer pieces which I will wear on my days off to become a summer flower child goddess; ,my day off arrives it's pouring rain and I'm too hungover to get out of my pjs. However this will not stop me doing the EXACT same thing this year. The shops are stocked with beautiful pieces to fill our lives with both happiness and poverty in equal measure. I have chosen a few things which I have my eye on at the moment, it's only a couple of things so don't be too afraid....

There are a few items I'll be wearing this summer:

- A pair of Statement Shorts- I think these will replace the skirt & the million versions of last summer's 'skort' to lead the way for the ultimate summer staple. Throw on a white tshirt, or shirt, or even
a loose jumper for cooler evenings.

- A very bright pair of court shoes- like the beautiful pink ones featured below from Topshop, enough to brighten up any outfit! 

-A white blazer- the summer version of the black blazer, it goes with EVERYTHING.


-The Perfect summer Dress- the age old quest. I am loving this Warehouse one though! 


-The Printed Pants- when I'm too lazy to tan or shave my legs to wear shorts I'll be wearing the statement trousers instead! I'll be pairing mine with a matching blazer, or failing that a clashing top like the one featured below!


-Jelly Sandals- these divide opinions, which is what fashion is all about. I've picked mine up and I LOVE them! I got the baby pink Juju Babies shown below! 


Shop the looks now! 



4: Zara White Blazer- 


Shop The second collection of items here!




As always thank you for reading....

Until next time, 

Til debt do us part. 

Elisha xo :) 

Friday, May 16, 2014

My Interview with Marian Duggan in the Western People!

As some of you may know (because I have used every social media outlet at my disposable to tell people) I was featured in the Western People this week! I was approached by Marian Duggan to do an interview to which I gladly agreed! I wasn't sure when it would be printed so when I opened the paper on Monday I frantically flicked through the pages and saw my picture on an entire page! My jaw dropped and I couldn't read the words fast enough... Just to see the interview in a newspaper and to be called a blogger was so exciting for me I literally haven't stopped smiling all week! You may have read it but if not here is the entire interview, some questions didn't fit in!




-Tell us a little bit about yourself- where your love of fashion grew from and how the blog came about:

I'm 24, soon to be 25, I'm the eldest in my family, I have two sisters Romy & Amber and a brother Tristan and of course my mum and dad Karen and John. I have always had a love for  clothes and dressing up, probably because I spent the first four years of my life as an only child so my parents only had me to worry about! I spent the majority of my time in colourful dresses which were reluctantly handed down to my siblings. I had a complete obsession with The Wizard of Oz as a child, and an obsession with being a princess, an obsession which stayed with me. I'm lucky to have one of my biggest style icons living with me- my mum. I know it's a cliche, but my mum is the reason I have such a love for fashion. As a child neither of my parents stopped me from exploring my individuality (probably because they thought I would have grown out of it at this stage), and seeing my mum's wardrobe full of beautiful clothes educated me on how to dress. I wanted to begin a blog for a few years and can only blame total laziness as my sole reason for it taking so long. I wrote my first blog post on the 11th of September 2013, I set up my Facebook page and it all went from there. My blog is my way of expressing my love for style, embracing your own individual style and having confidence with it. I share my outfit posts, I give tips on beauty, fashion, and I post pictures I take inspiration from. 



- Where did the blog name come from? 

It's a bit random! My friend Therese and I went to a festival about 6years ago and used fake names because we thought we were cool, I used Polly, changed my Facebook name to Elisha Polly Greham and it literally stuck and I haven't changed it since! So when I set the blog up I knew I had to incorporate 'Polly' in some way. I always loved the film, and was afraid it would get mistaken for that so I put another 'L' in the blog name!


- Tell us about your daytime job and if it ties in with your blog? 

I work in Foody's Pharmacy in Ballina, and it ties in so well with my blog thank God! We don't have a uniform we can wear whatever we want as long as it's black, which is great because it means I have to get dressed up and think about my clothes and outfits every day. I also do a lot of Skincare & make up blogging and all of my favorite products are lines that we stock. I would never blog about anything I didn't genuinely believe in, so the fact that we have such fantastic ranges at work is very handy! 


-Perks of having a blog? 
It's great for my confidence, having a platform to voice my opinion on fashion and beauty and get feedback from people who read my blog. I'm relatively new at this so I'm not drowning in 'blogger mail' unfortunately! I have received a few free products to review which was great, but that's not why I started this blog, free stuff is just a huge bonus! The biggest perk I have to say is meeting people through it, like other bloggers, or even random people on nights out! 


-Describe your blog in one sentence..
 
'Dressing up begins at the age of five and never truly ends'. 



-Your favourite post so far? 

It would have to be the post I wrote on the 03/10/13 titled 'The world needs some excitement from fashion'. It sums up what I believe most about fashion- to have fun with it. Clothes are a way of expressing your personality before you speak. That's not to say wear something mad, you must stay true to yourself but not be afraid to shake it up a little bit! Sometimes if I wear something a little out there for a second I care what people think then I really don't care, you have to have confidence in yourself- even if you have to fake it! 



-Your personal style? 

My personal style changes a lot with my mood. I'll usually be seen in a pair of brogues everyday at work or if I'm off I'll be wearing a colourful outfit of floral trousers or a tulle skirt. My style in one word I suppose is 'fun', it says exactly who I am, even if I'm wearing all black I'll try and add something to make it more fun. I love 50's, 60's and 80's style, I love florals, pastels and anything kitsch and matching. 



-Must have pieces this season? 
 
I'm probably a very bad fashion blogger because I wouldn't be one for religiously following trends, my personality can be quite defiant so maybe that's why! I think trends are very selective and don't take the rest of the average female population in mind. I believe in buying key pieces that you can make lots of outfits from- a great pair of jeans, a well tailored blazer, an expensive leather jacket which will last for years, and a great black dress! However this season will of course see the return of florals & pastel with the 'Statement Short' being a lye piece for the summer, pair it with a crisp white shirt loosely tucked in to keep it laid back.


-Your go to outfit? 

My go to outfit when I have no time to decide what to wear at all will always be a black dress. I know it's very typical, but you can bop never go wrong with a black dress, stilettos, bouncy hair and a slick of red lipstick. 


Heels or flats?

Brogues. 


-Your favourite blogs? 

There are so many to mention but mostly the Irish bloggers who are making waves in the fashion world, Ciara O'Doherty, Retroflame, Anouska Proetta Brandon, Leanne Woodfull, Haute So Fabulous, and not to mention ALL of the amazing bloggers from the 'Into the West Blogging Network' who are all listed in my latest blog post! 

-Your fashion inspiration? 

I take my inspiration mostly from everyday women on the streets of Dublin, London, and Galway. If I had to choose a person I would have to say Carrie Bradshaw. She never dressed for anyone else only herself and never cared what anyone thought, she had fun with clothes and I love every outfit her character ever wore!

-Tell us about the blogging day you were on recently? 

I recently attended an event in the beautiful G Hotel in Galway for ten 'Into the West blogger Network'. This group was set up by the inspiring Sinead Carrroll of Yummy Mummy Fashion and lifestyle blog, and it is a group of bloggers room the west and surrounding areas who blog and want to meet other people to gather tips and hopefully further our careers as bloggers. This was my first ever blog event so I was so excited! All of the girls were so nice, it was like we were friends for years! We met up, had delicious Afternoon Tea in the incredible rooms of the G Hotel, had lots of very girlie chats, exchanged tips and even received some great goodie bags from Cara Pharmacy and the Publicity Loft. It was a fantastic evening and it was great meeting other like minded people and sharing our experiences as bloggers! We have a facebook page which contains posts from each of us, each week being a different topic. I'm very much looking forward to our next meet up! 


Finish the sentences:

When I go to - PENNEYS I always spend money. 

It's important that women... Dress for themselves and not anyone else. Have fun with clothes but stay true to yourself, always be comfortable in what you're wearing and HAVE CONFIDENCE! 

My next must have purchase is.....a well fitted pair of denim dungarees ala Danielle Bernstein of super blog We Wore What. 

I pick my clothes out ..... From a never ending pile on my bed. 

If I could...win the lotto I would wear House of Holland clothes everyday. 

This was my first interview for my blog and hopefully won't be my last..huge thank you again to Marian, the Western People and my friend Laura for no doubt giving me a great plug at work in the WP! 


Elisha :) xo