Nov 2nd, 2009
by Prudence.
WELCOME TO PRUDENCE, a new kind of magazine for the thinking woman. Are you constantly broke? Up to your eyes in debt? Then Prudence is the magazine for you, and you can take a sneak-peek of the current issue right here on the site.
For absolutely fabulous fashion, beauty, interiors, travel, lifestyle, personal finance and food all at your fingertips, pick up a copy of Prudence – glamour at value for money prices… Because life should be rich.
We know you hate the wait between issues of Prudence your favourite magazine for savvy living, but now you don’t have to. Get the Perfect Prudence Fix direct to your in-box every week. SIGN UP NOW to get our free weekly ezine called PruZine – blogs, Prudent Pick of the Week, competitions and more.
Posted in: Prudence News and Events.
Tagged: prudence magazine
Feb 8th, 2010
by Prudence.
Fancy being splashed across billboards the globe over? Now’s your chance: fashion giant Benetton launched the It’s my Time campaign yesterday, dedicated to identifying new looks and faces. If you prove to be one of the 20 who the brand reckon have a winning look, then you’ll be flown to New York to model in a shoot for their autumn winter 2010 campaign.
So, what do you have to do? Head to benetton.com/casting to create an online look-book with photos and videos that express your personality. If you make it into the top 100, you’ll bag €200 euro in Benetton vouchers and you’ll be featured in a book about global style. But the big prize is the NYC trip, so get practicing your best Derek Zoolander-inspired poses and get stuck in.
The competition is on right now, and winners will be announced on the 18th of March 2010. Good luck!
Posted in: Fashion, Style and Shopping.
Tagged: benetton · competition
Calling all poseurs, eternal pouters and professional group-shot hoggers – now’s the time to immortalise your face. Fashion designer Henry Holland is looking for 36 faces to appear in a one-off print on a clutch handbag and scarf in the autumn H! collection for Debenhams. All you have to do is upload your mug shot to Flickr. For more information visit the Debenhams blog and get snapping!
Posted in: Fashion, Style and Shopping.
Tagged: competition · debenhams · fashion · henry holland
I’m sure the majority of yourselves are in the same boat at the moment but I am on a serious get-fit buzz since the excesses of Christmas (oh the memories – yum!). As a self-confessed gym-o-phobe, I’ve decided to give pilates a try. I much prefer to sweat and fall to pieces in the safety of my own home than in front of all those buff beauties at the gym. Of course once I decided on this course of action, being the eternal fashionista (that is, shopaholic), my next step was what to wear.
Being short of a few euro at the moment my first stop was the jersey section of Penneys. I contemplated velour (too hot), shorts (too short), leggings (too wobble revealing) until I came across a little blue number with cute stripes and all. Paired with my colourful Nikes (courtesy of TK Maxx) I feel ready to go… straight to bed with a hotwater bottle and a packet of spicy Doritos. I’ll start the exercise tomorrow, promise.
Posted in: Fashion, Style and Shopping, Health and Beauty.
Tagged: exercise · penneys · pilates
Feb 4th, 2010
by Prudence.
I discovered a great new place to eat out this week on Camden St called Green 19. It’s kinda cool but not pretentiously trying to be trendy. The food’s really good and the wine is to die for. Two very good friends and I were out having a birthday celebration (yes mine!) and we shared some nice starters between us (which cost €21 between three and were delicious) and then three main courses – a tenner each.
The menu at night is the same at lunchtime and the prices are exactly the same – we really like that. Service is friendly, cheerful and efficient. We had a bottle of Prosecco first (€30, about average if you buy in a restaurant) and then ordered a bottle of Domaine Coste Chaude 2007 Cote du Rhone, it was absolutely the nicest red wine I think I have ever tasted – full bodied with loads of chocolate-y tones, the answer to a girl’s dreams in a bottle! It cost €24 which we thought was reasonable for such high quality.
Main courses ordered were corned beef with cabbage, mash and a parsley sauce; venison stew with mash and a chicken hot pot with potato and veg – all a tenner each. Prudent or what? The place was packed and we got the last table when booked five days in advance – and it’s not surprising. We will certainly be back, even on a bad week (financially) you can buy soup for €4, beat that. This is our fave new place to eat, check it out.
Posted in: Food and Wine.
Tagged: eating out · green 19
Feb 4th, 2010
by Mean Maureen.
Most people in Ireland have family, friends and loved ones scattered all over the world – and generally we want to keep in touch with as many of them as possible.
Years ago, we had to use snail mail which meant that by the time our news reached the United States or Australia, it was completely out of date. Now of course, thanks to email we can communicate in real time.
Of course, it’s always better to be able to speak to them, hear their voices and if possible see them at the same time, especially if you can do it for nothing.
The answer of course is SKYPE which allows you to call for free via the computer and if you have a camera on your computer you can see your loved ones as you chat. It’s dead simple. You can download SKYPE free of charge and then all you need is for both of you to be online simultaneously. You just ring their number and away you go.
As the very proud granny of a four-week-old little girl living in Boston, I’m now able to see her every day. I’ve watched her coming home from hospital, seen her first half smile, marvelled at how chubby she has become and could swear she’s trying to whistle at the family dog.
A word of advice; think carefully before you get a camera on your computer. Remember it’s all very well to invade somebody else’s home before they’ve had time to have a shower but do your really want them to see you in a raggedy old dressing gown with your hair standing on end and no make-up? I don’t have a camera on my computer, so I reckon I have the best of both worlds.
Posted in: Bargains and Budgeting.
Tagged: computers · MEAN MAUREEN · skype
Feb 4th, 2010
by Jean Smullen.
2007 Gran Fuedo Rosé €8.89, left and Jacob’s Creek Blanc de Blancs €13.84, right
Today, Thursday February 4th is officially Imbolic, the quarter day which in ancient times in pagan Ireland heralded the first day of spring. Naturally at this time of year when spring arrives, our thoughts turn to love and we celebrate the feast of St Valentine and the ritual of courtship. Today our mating rituals are sponsored by Hallmark and the wine trade is awash with pink wine and wine with bubbles.
So for this week and next, the wine blog will recommend good-value wines for Valentine’s Day. If you and your significant other are planning a stay-at-home Valentine’s, we have some suggestions which may help. Sparkling wines are good value at the moment. New World sparkling wine is definitely worth a look and Australia has great value; the Jacob’s Creek Blanc de Blancs, €13.84, a new addition to its sparkling wine range, is exclusive to Dunnes Stores and is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Bottle of the week is a rosé from the Navarra region in Spain, east of Rioja. Bodegas Chivite was originally founded in 1647 and is the one of the oldest wine-producing dynasties in Spain. Gran Fuedo Rosé (Rosado), €8.89, is a lovely example of a fruity rosé. It is produced from a Spanish grape called Garnacha Tinta, known in France as Grenache. It has lots of red-berry fruit and is light and easy to drink.
If you’re staying home to have a romantic dinner for two then this wine is the ideal accompaniment for pasta or a risotto starter. It is also great with anything spicy such as a Thai green curry or anything cooked with chillis. Serve slightly chilled.
Stockists: Dunnes Stores, Superquinn, O’Briens and all good off-licences nationwide
For my wine event diary check www.jeansmullen.com
Posted in: Food and Wine.
Tagged: rose · sparkling wine · wine
Reality TV is a hot topic these days, as we all jostle to claim our loves and loathes.
I love:
- Wife Swap
- Nanny 911
- Come Dine With Me
- X Factor
I loathe:
- Big Brother
- I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here
- That ice skating one
- That ballroom one
Anyway as I said, I love X Factor and I love prejudging who’s going to make the final. I backed JLS last year, more for the cute factor than the X factor, so it’s great to see that they’re doing so well these days. And to add another notch to their belt, the fab four have now released their own limited edition watch collection. Weird but wonderful. I’ll have the Marvin please (the bloke first, then the watch, obviously!).
Posted in: Arts and Culture, Fashion, Style and Shopping.
Tagged: reality tv · watches
Jan 28th, 2010
by Alexia.
My family home is a hop, skip and jump from Limerick’s Crescent Shopping Centre and I spent many a Saturday afternoon browsing the rails at some of its fashion stores. My favourite was always the Vero Moda store because the prices were predictably low and the garments were wearable – but always with a little twist.
One of the brands you’ll find at Vero Moda is the denim brand Only, so it was of great interest to me to hear the new spring/summer collection was being flown into Dublin for only two hours and would I like to pop out to the hangar and have a look? Would I?!
So Tuesday morning I found myself, champagne in hand, watching the plane land and a cheery troupe of Danish designers disembark to briefly let us in on their latest designs. There were a few buyers there too and the one design everyone was clamouring for was the military-style denim jacket (€79.90), pictured above, so expect to see this design at a store near you soon.
Posted in: Fashion, Style and Shopping.
Tagged: alexia · denim · fashion · vero moda
