Jessicabanaghan: Get a Shemazing! Debs look for under €100

I can now exciting tell you all about my exciting project with...... SHEMAZING!

I am literally in fits of giggles writing this, as I have been dying to tell you all about it. Two weeks ago, I was asked by Shemazing! to be a part of a blogger challenge! They wanted to raise awareness about the amount of money that Irish girls spend on their special night before the head to college, the Debs ( Prom for any Americans reading). As you know, I do love a good bargain! So, I immediately said yes!

I know myself, after attending my own Debs, a lot of money was spent on my dress, my hair and makeup! This is considered a girls special night before her wedding- yes, I know that's scary to read, but isn't it true? I believe every girl should look and beautiful for their Debs, however is there really a need to spend all that money? No, there isn't! And in with this challenge, I proved it!

I'm not gonna lie, it was difficult. I thought with €100 that it would be easy but it wasn't. Luckily for me as I am based in Dublin, I had many different shops that offered different styles. I tried a lot of high street shops like River Island, Debenhams and Forever 21 to see if I could get dresses that you could get away with for the Debs. There were amazing pieces, especially Debenhams that were just over the €100 mark. So, I did some thinking and then I thought I would try vintage shops. Again, I found some amazing pieces, dresses that were €80/€90. If you are looking for something quirky and different, it is worth trying vintage shops in cities like Dublin where you can find pieces that you can wear again after your Debs.

The microphone suits me, doesn't it?

So, it was back to the drawing board. I was walking along Henry Street, when the Ilac Shopping Centre just clicked with me. Then when I walked in- TK MAXX! I couldn't believe I didn't think of it before! I had such a good feeling walking into the shop as it is the home of great bargains. TK Maxx can be a place of luck with people, you just need to have patience to find and rummage through shelves and rails. It did take me about 20 minutes to find "the" dress. I wanted something different, that some people might no go for but something that would suit all types of girls looks. Then, I found it! This teal/green dress just caught my eye and I just had to pick it up! The dress only cost, wait for it, €46.99. It didn't even cost me €50- what a bargain!

Accessories

Where else would I go, but Penneys! I picked up the Limited Edition heels, bangles, earrings and clutch bag for under €35. I picked up pieces that stood out and make the look quirky but not take away from the dress. I also wanted to pick up pieces that you can wear again, these accessories can easily be worn with other different looks. This was a message I wanted to get across when creating this look, when you create your debs look, try and pick pieces that you wouldn't just wear for the one night but pieces that you know can wear again. There is no point in letting them all just grow cobwebs in the attic!

Hair & Makeup

I wanted to go for a natural look. I won't deny it, we all love heading to the hairdressers/beauticians and being pampered. However, if you are looking to save money for your Debs, hair and beauty should be the first on your list. With the help of beauty vloggers and bloggers, it is now possible to watch tutorial videos and read articles on how to create different looks. One source for these is of course Shemazing! and you can check out their tutorials here. I opted for soft waves which elegantly sat around Eve's face. A big thank you to the wonderful Anna from Hession Hairdressing in Drumcondra for creating this look on Eve. This look can be achieved with a curling wand or straightener. For makeup, again, I wanted to keep natural. So, we used gold, brown and orange colours for the lips, eyes and cheekbones.

The Look

So, here is the finished look! A huge thank you to my model Eve from Catwalk Modelling Agency for be there on the day to model the look. I had no idea how the look would turn out until Eve tried everything on. I looked at her and I was amazed that I could actually style an outfit! This was such a great project for me to be a part of and I can't thank Shemazing! enough for this opportunity.