Hi everyone,
    As the world of Snapchat is starting to take the blogging and buisness world by storm, I thought I would take the opportunity to share my Favourites "snappers". I have to admit,I have become sooo addicted to snapchat, weither its to pass a wee 10 minutes here or there or just sheer noseyness, I could easily spend a good hour scrolling through story after story. so rather than be greedy and keep all the good ones to myself I have chose to share my top 5 that I think you guys should all go and check out.

1. Waxpertsellen

This gorgeous lady is the creator of the amazing brand Waxperts, this is an award winning wax range which can be found in most salons across Ireland and UK. Not only is Ellen an inspirational business woman, she is also a mummy to the wee cutiepie that is Cooper, who infact makes regular appearance on his mummy and Daddys snapchat to greet their followers with a little "hello everybody", and of course Ellens Partner Conrad Jones ,  who is the new comer on Snapchat, but is fast taking it by storm. I could quite happily watch their snaps all day, Ellen has a voice that could melt butter and a face that should adorn the front cover of every beauty magazine on Earth,and Conrad is a hard working doting daddy that could teach the modern man a thing or two .

Ellen is also over on Twitter, Instagram and of course Snapchat (user name as written above)

Conrad is over on Instagram and also snapchat  under Conradjones13 .

Waxperts is over on Twitter , Instagram  Be sure to pop by and give these guys a little follow.

2.Sharonleavy

Sharon is the fantastic writter behind the lifestyle, beauty and books blog  Behindgreeneyes ,this beauty is also mummy to 3 boys (2 being twins) . Sharon shares her homemade scrummy meal ideas, makeup tips, bargin purchases, book reviews and some good oul fashion chit chat along the way, I think this lady is just fab and I definately could see this gorgeous gal producing some fantastics books in the near future. As a mum of 4 I know how hard it is to try and juggle all my social media sites but this lady just makes it all look super easy, If you have to do one thing today , make it that you follow this lady.

Sharon is also over on Twitter , Instagram and of course snapchat under Sharonleavy

3.Kimdempo

I started following this stunning lady around 3 weeks ago and I have been like a stalker ever since, Kim is the biggest chatterbox ever,  which is fantastic when it comes to snapchat because that is what snapchats about after all.

 I have a huge amount of admiration for this lady as has went through a phenomenal weight loss journey, and has shared all the steps along the way,  she also shares makeup tips,  advice , her ootd's and just great banter about her everyday life , I feel like if I ever met Kim in person ,we would just get on like a house on fire.

Kim is also over on Instagram and of course snapchat with the name above.

4.Jamespatrice

So where do I start with this Beyonce obsessed, gorgeous man! If he's not scaring the bejesus out of his poor mammy "Fron" , he's lip sinking and busting moves to all kind of classic pop music, Britney Spears being my favourite so far.

Not only is he thee best entertainer on snapchat, he is also the Fashion Editor for Mfimagazine, Actor ,Presenter , writer and Fashion Blogger , his Blog jusdejames.wordpress.com being one of my faves!. He is by far one of the snapchatters who has me in actual tears with laughter.

James can also be found over on Twitter , Instagram and of course snapchat under the name above.

5.Toodollymakeup

Last but certainly not least is Jen, If you are make-up obsessed like I am, then you will LOVE her, Jen is a Beauty Blogger as well as being a super busy student.

 Jen own's the fantastic blog www.toodollymakeup.com where she takes you behind the scenes at all the Blogger events that she attends, as-well as giving the best makeup tutorials/tips and giveaways ever !! 

She is also on her very own weight loss journey , and has made an unbelievable transformation along the way.

 Jen is super sweet and I hope to meet her in person at a few upcoming events in the near future.

you guys can find Jen over on Facebook ,Instagram ,Twitter and Snachat under the name above. Go on and give her a follow.

I hope that you guys do go check these guys out, you certainly wont be disappointed, Have a lovely evening what-ever you my be doing , but for now its love, hugs and kisses from,

Heat Running App

I was so chuffed when I was contacted by the lovely Arya  ceo and co-founder of Heat Running and asked to trial a new fitness app that they had created, of course I jumped at the chance....
The Heat Running app is the first competitive and social running app that is available, this app allows runners of all levels to compete in races/marathons or just leisurly runs against each other, combining competition, gamification, fitness and motivation all into one of the most exciting app that I have ever seen on the market.

This fabulous app was set up by two personal trainers Arya Farzin and Joesph Phillips, Ayra's own struggles with obesity and the fact that he had realised that no other running app provided the motivation and support that had helped him to loose 200lb had encouraged them to put together this genius idea. they both set out to create a unique app that provided a level of competition and motivation that was previously unavailable.
Heat Running app is the only app that allows and actually encourages direct competition among its users by adding a social component instead of a computer generated one as most other running apps do. This app creates a virtual racing environment that allows you to enter head to  head competitions, bringing out your competitive side of course.

Bringing a social element to running some-how made me so so competitive,I mean in no way was I a runner before taking part in this trial, I secretly hated the thought of running to be quite honest, but once I actually started using the app and started competing against others I found myself starting to enjoy it and even looked forward to my runs each evening just to try and better my own times.
One of the apps mottos is "unlock your animal" urging you to go from an egg to eventually a cheetah, and by god I did (hahah) I was like an animal possessed by the end of it all and god only knows what people where thinking that had seen me when i was out on a run because I  was doing victory dances and all when I had won, not a pretty sight let me tell you that.

By making running into some sort if a game the Heat Running app slyly fools you into making running fun and more approachable for little beginners as myself, but this app would sit well even with professionals like athletes as-well.
These guys have a fantastic following on their social media sights, why dont you join the other 49.9K and give them a little like or follow on Facebook, Instagram and twitter.
 Heat Running is currently available for download on Apple App store

but unfortunately is not yet available for download for Android devices, but plans are to offer a version for Android in the future.
I found this app so fun to use and anything that can boost fitness is always a winner. I had downloaded the app on an Iphone 6+ , as you all know the phone is huge and running with it wasn't an issue to me at all. I recommend that you all give it a try, it is amazing and I know you will all love it as much as I did. I will list all their details below so you guys can check it all out for yourselves,
Website - http://www.heatrunningapp.com
Their fab Story -  http://heatrunningapp.com/about
Twitter - http://twitter.com/HEATrunning
Facebook - http://facebook.com/heatrunning
Instagram - http://instagram.com/heatrunning

For now my lovlies its love, hugs and kisses from Little Paintedme xxxooo.

Our visit to Tropical World in Letterkenny

There is nothing better than getting the kiddies out and about on long boring days, and a little road trip is our favourite way to entertain the wee ones.
Yesterday we decided to take a drive to Letterkenny to visit Tropical World butterfly house and mini zoo

Having heard so much about it from family members who have went before we felt that we were missing out. Being so close to home Im suprised that we hadn't heard more about it to be honest,  Can I just start off by saying what an amazing place this is, for children and adults alike.

Our first stop off was in the new Dino Den, this was a room set up to look like a scene from Jurassic park, filled with dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, along the side were cages with nests inside filled with dinosaur eggs, it looked sooo realistic. There was even a mini excavation site set up for the children to dig up and discover there own dinosaur bones, such an amazing place for their little imaginations to run free.

This then lead us through to the Butterfly House and for anyone that knows me personally will of course know that I am obsessed with butterflies (hense the Little Painted Lady Blog name) so I felt right at home inside the butterfly house, such a stunning array of species of all shapes,sizes and colours, and to be able to walk through their own little butterfly haven was just fantastic, although my youngest had a little freak out as one of the butterflies took a little shine to him and kept trying to perch itself on top of his head, which i found hilarious of course (bad mummy). Poor child.

After exiting the Butterfly house, we were then lead  into a mini zoo, in here the children were able to see a tonne of different animals,  from Monkeys to Owls, Prairie Dogs to Meerkats , Snakes to Scorpians , Parrots to Tortoises, the list goes on,there were just soo many to mention , the Parrots though had to be my childrens favourites, the colours of them alone were just stunning

.
Needless the say after troopsing the kiddies around for an hour , they were getting hungry,we brought our own picnic and we were able to sit in the seating area just beyond the gift shop, but if you do visit and forgot to pack goodies then there is a gorgoeus vintage Cafe/tearoom situated inside the premises called Thyme Out, they will cater for everything from Tea/coffee to homemade lunches, definately 10/10
our last stop was the childrens soft play area, great for a final little pitstop to finish the day off, my son loved the obstacle course , while the girls loved the giant board games on the tables.

I honestly cant praise this place enough, if you ever need a day to you wind with your children then I urge you to pay Tropical World a visit, you wont be disappointed!! Below I will list their web address/twitter , admissions fees and opening hours for you to have a look over.

WEBSITE http://tropicalworld.town.ie/app/index.php/page/home
TWITTER http://twitter.com/tropicalworldlk
I hope you all have a fantastic day but for now its love , hugs and kisses from Little Paintedme xxxooo

Realising how special family holidays are.

Having just come back from our little family holiday I have had time over the past few nights to sit down ,relax and go through the holiday pictures .
This year we went back to Log an tSeanti,

a holiday home in Derrybeg county Donegal in the west of Ireland,and even though this is just a mere hours drive from where I live it feels like a whole different part of the world. The house is situated so close to the sea and has only a handful of houses dotted around it

. I am so used to the hussle and bussle of living in a big city, so when we go there on holiday it feels so peaceful. The air is filled with the smell of the turf fires and sea air, such a homely place to stay, its hard to put into words just how I feel when I'm there
 This year we brought our extended family with us, children, mums, dads, sisters, aunts the whole works, we wanted to share this amazing place with them in the hope that they would love it as much as we did . They weren't disappointed, in fact my aunt cried as we were leaving (big softie) I think it was just the fact she could come away from all of her stresses for a week, leave all the worries in Derry, plus the fact that our phones or internet didn't work down there was a major bonus in my eyes, I don't know about you guys but I struggle to get a conversation from my crowd at times because they have there noses stuck in there phones scrolling through Facebook ,Twitter or Snapchat! don't get me wrong I'm as obsessed as the next person is with social media, but for them few days to be able to actually have proper conversation, oh my god ,it was bliss!
Thankfully while we were there we didn't have our typical Irish summer weather, we actually had some scorching sun shine,

The kids loved it because we could go to the beach every single day as it was practically on our door step, plus the sea air knocked them out at bed time so it was happy days for mummy as-well.
I have never seen such a stunning place, granted I have never travelled any further than England for holidays in the past .I know, I'm 31 and never been on a foreign holiday, but in all honesty why would you need to when we have absolutely amazing places like this in our own country, with stunning views to match I may add.
From our beach front we could see a number of little islands across the water,

 It is so breath taking just being able to see it all really, and the fact that we were spending precious time making memories with our family, made it all the better. Needless to say I took loads of holiday snaps, most being of my kiddies making sand castles, making my daughter a mermaid tail from sand

,my mum hunting for shells with my two youngest children, and our family just being together, having fun.

words cant explain how happy and content that makes me feel.it really is the simple things in life.
what is your idea of an ideal holiday? do leave me a little comment and share.
I hope you all have an amazing day, whatever you may be up to, but for now its love, hugs and kisses from Little PaintedMe xxxooo.

Ashamed to be in my own skin.

Hi lovlies
             I'm only just back from my fab wee holiday but because of limited internet access I was not able to publish til i came home.I couldn't think of a better time than to discuss the #stoptheshame campaign that stellar.ie started around 8 weeks ago that I had only come across before I left for my holiday might i add (where have i been) 

Seeing girls being able to walk around a beach in front of everyone with a little bikini on makes me want to throw on a huge woolly jumper and become a little holiday hermit and never show my body again....I have to confess I am 31 years old , I'm a mummy of 4 and i have never ever worn a bikini EVER! Don't get me wrong I  would absolutely love to prance around on holiday in a skimpy little two piece but unfortunately the little image demon in my head tells me other wise, 

 The reason being that While I was pregnant my skin stretched so bad that I was left with an awful amount of stretch marks and loose skin all across my stomach to the point where it just looks like I have skin of an old lady now, my belly button has become non existent  because of the loose skin that hangs above it. I refer to my stretch marks as my "tiger stripes" that I earned while carrying my babies though , I lovingly  tell my children that it's a little map to show where they have come from. I know I must sound like such a moaner and that a lot of women would give a limb just to have the "tiger stripes" that I have, yet here I am crying about them !  they just make me feel so unattractive... disgusting in fact! I don't feel comfortable with my husband to be even seeing my body, I still cover my tummy with my hands so he cant see it. As a 31 year old woman I should feel super sexy and have a nice toned tummy, not ashamed to show off at all. Jesus I don't even feel comfortable enough to take my kiddies to the swimming pool wearing a one piece because I feel like everyone can see my saggy old lady tummy and feels repulsed, now I know that people are not that bad but in my mind I feel like their eyes are burning through me.
I have and still am in fact considering cosmetic surgery just to remove the excess skin around my stomach,  no one knows how amazing that would make me feel about myself,and  if that's not self body shame then I  don't know what is. I know though that its 50% for my own self esteem issues and 50% for acceptance in society when I do eventually get the nerve to venture out in a bikini in the future. How wrong is that though, i shouldn't feel like I need to cover myself up so not to disgust others or myself, I want to say good ridings to this body shame of mine once and for all, I want to be able to flaunt my belly to the world and if the only way I can do that is by shouting from the roof tops #stoptheshame then so bloody be it. Ladies/gents/world here is my tummy, stretch marks and all! 

Im sorry if it repulses you but if I can show you all this then its a hugeeee step in the right direction ,I just want to be able to say to each and every one of you, be proud of your stretch marks ladies, each one tells a little story of it's own, and believe me we bloody well earned them!! I hope this gives other women that feel the same way about their body the courage to show off their tiger stripes too

 I hope you all have an amazing day whatever your up to, but for now its love,hugs and kisses from Littlepainted me xxxooo

I confess........I LOVE Propercorn

Hi lovlies
               This week i received thee best package ever in the post, this little beauty...

Having joined Propercorn on periscope a few weeks back I thought I would be cheeky and ask a few team members if it would be possible to review some of their fab popcorn product, and can i just add what a stunning team they have in Propercorn headquarters and Luckily for me they kindly agreed to send me a little package.
I was super shocked when the parcel arrived just to see the array of flavours that they had sent! and not to mention the super cute note that Rebecca had sent with it,just a beautiful personal touch.
I mean omg whoever thought of these flavours can i just say that YOUR A GENIUS!!

I just love the packaging aswell, such vibrant colours ! I have to say though my favourite flavour has to be the coconut and vanilla, slightly obsessed with coconut flavours and scents anyway but jesus these just taste like heaven,the little bonus for me is that they are low in calories too, how fab is that!! My kiddies on the other hand lovvvvveeeee the sweet and salty, they even added that they taste much better than cinema popcorn (hahaha) thats an amazing compliment believe me .
I just want to thank Propercorn so much for sending me this fantastic little box of goodies, go check them out guys on twitter and instagram, give them a little follow, say hello , you wont be disappointed thats for sure. http://twitter.com/propercorn http://instagram.com/propercorn
I hope you all have a "proper" amazing Friday whatever you may be up to, but here we are packing for our holidays tomorrow, so for now its love , hugs and kisses from LittlePainted me xxxooo

filthy velvet ( it makes perfect scents)

After browsing through Instagram's discover new people page one night I came across a company called Filthyvelvetgram, me being the nosey so and so that I am I was intrigued to say the least, when looking more into the page I discovered they were a local business close to where I live that sold scented candles (scandles) , and being as obsessed with scented candles as I am I HAD to get to know more about them and there brand.

While on browsing through the product range and the different scent of candles I came across all the candle names, and let me tell you they are Hilarious, for example there is camel toe, busty blonde, pot head... the list goes on.

I had this idea in my head that i would be burning these candles and my visitors would come in and say ohhhh whats that lovely smell, and that's when I would reply ohhh that ohh it's just  "camel toe" or "busty blonde" (hehehe) the thought just makes me laugh out loud.
I knew instantly that I would fall in love with these products so I didn't hesitate in getting in contact with the company owners  Karen and jeremy and asking for permission to do a blog with the products that I purchase. Having received permission I placed an order for the busty blonde candle (coconut and vanilla musk) this was £10.50. i lovvvve lovvve coconut scents so this was a no brainer , and I also ordered two boxes of the filthy bits which are little wax pieces to melt on a burner, I got lime,basil and manderine and the cotton fresh scents, these were both £4.50 each for a 6 piece box

. When placing my order I chose to collect in person , that way I could meet with Karen,get a little chat and possibly see more products as well and i could use it as an excuse for a road trip for myself and my partner.
Guys I cant begin to explain how lovely Karen is and how welcome she made me feel in her home, while I was there Karen showed me all the different scents herself and her partner jeremy produce and all from their beautiful home, from the very first step to the last I might add

! I was just besotted with the range of the scents and if I could I would have taken them alll home!! I am just in awe of this pair and I want you all to get to know them too so I did a little Q&A while I was there to allow you all to get to know karen,jeremy and there fantastic company, so here it is......
when was your company set up?
I set the company up in February 2015 with the help of my partner.
Where is your company based?
All our products are hand made from our home in Portrush.
Where can your products be purchased?
You can purchase our products on line www.filthyvelvet.com and through selected retailers in Northern Ireland ie Studio Souk, Belfast, Preloved by Patti & Frank, Portstewart , Memento Portrush, Touch Beauty Spa Coleraine and Sarah Butcher Make Up artist Co. Mayo. We are attending one of London's leading gift and lifestyle exhibitions in September and hope to be trading with more retailers throughout the UK and Ireland.
Who was the brains behind the company and product names?
I worked as an Interior Designer and owned my own Design Boutique for 15 years, I'm also a qualified aromatherapist which gave me a great understanding of scent combinations.. I decided to combine my skills and love for secnted candles and create my own unique range. My primary aim was to create a quality product but It was also wanted the range to reflect my own personality - fun and a little bit cheeky.
How many different scents are there?
Currently we have 14 Scandle scents available and 7 different Filthy Bits (wax melts) available but have many more in the pipeline. We would like to extend our product range to include scented oils, perfumes and room sprays.
How much does your products retail for?
Our products retail online for £10.50 & £4.50
Can your products be purchased through wholesale so that other companies can feature your candles?
Yes our products can be bought wholesale
If you had to choose a favourite scent , what would it be and why? 
I have so many favourite scents and they tend to change with the season. At the moment I am really enjoying our Pot Head  - Freshly Cut Grass Scandle but I think our WTF - Winter's Traditional Fragrance has to be my firm favourite. Its so hard to choose - I like them all!!
Where do you hope your company will be in 10 years time.?
We hope to be a real contender in the home fragrance industry wholesaling throughout the Uk & Europe and perhaps further a field.

I couldn't wait to get home to open my purchases, and I wasn't disappointed , the candle comes in a rustic little tin with company logo and candle name, these would fit in beautifully with any home decor,  and the filthy bits come beautiful wrapped in tissue paper inside a little cardboard parcel.

Its times like this I wish that there was such an invention as smellavision because Ohhhh Myyyyy F#@king God these candles and filthy bits smell out of this world!!! I have purchased other brands of scented candles / melts before but dear jesus these are not even in the same catergory  when it comes to comparing smellls! I had the wax melt burning for 2 minutes and my whole house smelled AMAZING!!!!

I cannot recommend this company enough guys, I mean if you're to do one thing today then please make it be adding these guys on facebook/twitter/instagram and placing an order of your own because I can 200% assure you that you will not be disappointed!! I am now their number 1 fan for life, I will never be buying from any other scented candle company ever !! In fact I can assure you that I will have Filthy velvet bought out of stock by the end of this year for sure!!
 I will link all of there social site pages down below,so you guys can check them out for yourselves . I know you will become a fan too.
I hope you all have a "Filthy Velvet" day lovlies but for now its loves, hugs and kisses from littlepainted me xxx ooo

1. https://www.facebook.com/filthyvelvet
2.  https://instagram.com/filthyvelvetgram/ 
3. .  https://twitter.com/Filthy_Velvet 
4. https://www.pinterest.com/Filthy_Velvet/