Hey everyone!
Last month, I was asked by the writer behind Maggie Red Blog if I would be interested in being the “September Star of the Month” for her blog. As well as already being the first Miss UN Ireland, I would also be the first Star of the Month featured on it. I of course said yes and met up with Miss Red herself for an afternoon in Chocolat on O’Connell St, Limerick where we chatted about everything I have been up to since winning Miss UN Ireland and how my life has changed.
Thank you to Claire Kelly who did my make up on the day, Isobel in Adare for supplying me with the dress I wore and Maggie Red herself for choosing me as her Star of the Month. Check out the photographs taken on the day and the interview itself below:
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September's Star Of The Month
- Miss United Nations Ireland 2010 - Samantha Long.
It's hard to believe that someone so beautiful, poised and elegant, wearing louboutin stilettos could be down to earth, but that's exactly what our
Miss United Nations Ireland,
Samantha Long is. The shy girl from Adare, Limerick who grew up on a farm has transformed into a pageant queen, an ambassador and a role model.
The daughter of retired English and History teacher Susan Long and Vet Derek Long, won her title of Miss United Nations Ireland this July competing against gorgeous girls all over Ireland, but this Pageant is different from all the rest, not only do you need to have the looks, but it's more focused on the person's personality and their contributions to their community.
And to top that all off, it's clear that Samantha's got the smarts,before the pageant she was studying Law in
UCC and it's clear that winning her crown hasn't blurred her vision, one of the first things she says has changed since winning her title is that a lot of people are trying to be her 'friend' she says : "A lot of people who wouldn't have been friends with me before are suddenly 'my friends'. I've been told to be wary of people."
She definitely has her feet firmly on the ground since her life has changed. From a law student in
UCC, overnight she has become a representative of Ireland, a role model and a 'personality'. Samantha admits she was never all that confident until she entered the
UCC's Next Top Model competition. She admits to being a huge
America's Next Top Model fan but her height, at 5 ft 6 inches, has always stood in her way. But soon she realized her height was something she could overcome,
Diva Next Door entered Samantha into a poll and various competitions contacted her saying she had a bright future.
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| (Samantha winning her title as Miss United Nations Ireland) |
Then, thanks to
Facebook she stumbled upon
Miss United Nations and she had built the confidence to enter. Previously, a seriously shy girl, Sam started to come out of her skin. From strutting her bikini on the catwalk to talking about herself on stage, the judges could see she had come out of her shell.
It's evident that this young woman is highly ambitious, I can see behind those calm blue eyes there are thousands of ideas running around her mind. She says there is so much she wants to achieve during her reign: "I'm the first Miss United Nations Ireland so I have to set the standard. I want to take every opportunity that comes my way. I really want to work with charities." Samantha is getting very much involved with the Irish charity Aware who are dedicated in helping defeat depression in Ireland. She also helps out with Limerick Animal Welfare, as she tells me multiple times she is in love with animals, and has been a vegetarian since the age of nine!
And although Samantha did win a beauty pageant she wants to focus more on how she can become a role model for young people and how best, she can represent Ireland: "I do want to develop myself as a model, but I'm more of an ambassador now."
Most importantly, Samantha wants her year as Miss United Nations Ireland to count. Next November she will fly to Jamaica for the final competition for Miss United Nations International and everything she will do in the following months will prove her dedication to helping others, her involvement in local communities and the image she portrays for young Irish women as well as women worldwide: "I want to be able to go to Jamaica and stand up in front of the judges and tell them what I've done as Miss United Nations and be proud of what I've done. And know I did my best. And I want to tell my successor what to expect. So I want to give this my all."
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| (Photo by: Kevin Wallace) |
The day I'm meeting with Samantha is also the same day she finds out she has gotten a deferral from her final year of her Law degree in UCC, the excitement is buzzing from her and she tells me she's moving to Dublin and getting a new apartment so she can be at the centre of it all. As her title requires her to attend numerous events, it's important she's in the centre of Ireland where most of her duties would be held. She says to me "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, that's why I'm moving to Dublin. I want to give this one hundred percent"
It's clear that Samantha wants to use her role to help others, she says to me that it's really important to her to "use my voice for those who don't have a voice". She admits that if she won the the title of Miss United Nations International she would go to a third world country and build houses, saying it's something she's always wanted to do.
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| (Samantha wears a gorgeous LBD from Adare Boutique Isobel and her Crown is handmade by Carol Shaw) |
Another aspect that Samantha's really interested in is the Media world. She's been thrown into it head first since her crowning in July, and now she will be writing a fashion column for a new Limerick magazine called
'Teen Life' which is dedicated to the 8-18-year olds of Limerick and will be provided in all schools throughout the county.
Samantha says she aims to help teens "who feel uniform dampens their style" and will give them tips to "pimp their uniforms" to make them feel more confident and stylish. But she's also adamant that being natural is really important. Samantha herself is completely natural, with strawberry blond hair, pale skin and a slim physique, her look is effortless, and she hopes that other young women can learn from her to focus on looking natural, and bare, rather than throwing on orange tan and elongated extensions, she says: "I think the worst thing is if you're used to wearing fake tan and then you have to go out without it you definitely feel bare. I like to go for a natural look, but a glamorous natural look, today I've had my makeup done by Claire Kelly (which is both flawless and natural), but at the end of the day, if you're relying heavily on fake tan and makeup it takes away other things about yourself".
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| (Samantha doing her swimwear segment at the Miss United Nations Ireland Pageant, Photo by: Kevin Wallace) |
It's evident that this young woman is very focused on portraying herself in the correct light so that young people can follow in her footsteps. One of her reasons for entering the pageant in the beginning was to represent all the shorter girls out there that dream of being a model, but are restricted by model agencies who won't hire them because of their height. But Samantha believes beauty and confidence have nothing to do with size or shape: "As long as you're healthy it doesn't matter what size you are and I want to focus on fashion that suits everybody."
In regards to her own style Samantha says: "I don't really have a style. Today I'm wearing this black fitted dress from the Adare boutique Isobel. I like getting 'dolled up' and feeling like a girlie girl but trust me, I have my days where I wear my sweats and I have my hair in a mess" .But like every other girl there are some beauty products Samantha can't live without: "Mascara, lip gloss and pretty nails" very sophisticated choices!
But she admits that as
Miss United Nations Ireland she feels its important to dress sophisticated and look her best when attending public events, as she is an ambassador, not only for the pageant, and for Limerick, but for Ireland itself.
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| (photo by: Una Williams) |
Since winning her title, Samantha has been a seriously busy bee, nearly straight after the pageant Samantha attended a fashion show for the Isobel Boutique in Adare at the time of the J.P McManus' Pro-Am, and the show was for the golfers wives (rubbing shoulders with the best already) and told me in giggles "that was my first taste of stardom" then the week after receiving her crown she was at the launch of the Limerick Beauty Salon Halo's new threading service.
One of the most exciting things Samantha has done since winning her crown has been appearing in a commercial for Jewellery Ireland. It was filmed in Markree Castle in Sligo and had top designers involved, such as Helen Fitzpatrick who styles for
The Tudors,
Carol Shaw who won jewellery designer of the year, designers from
Riverdance and stylists from the set of James Bond movie,
Casino Royale. Carol Shaw was on set of the commercial which was also a photo shoot and Samantha was lavished in her beautiful hand made jewellery.The quirky themed video had Samantha running around in the rain in a
Vera Wang wedding dress (oh the horror) and gave her her first taste of acting. The commercial will be aired in cinema's in Ireland and the UK coming up to December.
Most recently she attended the
Makeup Fablicious Seminar in the RDS where she got her hair and makeup done on stage in front of the public, and had to do a professional photo shoot to portray a behind the scenes look at the making of a photo shoot. She also attended Limericks Got Music concert in the Strand Hotel in Limerick which was in aid of the children's arc unit in the Limerick Regional Hospital. There she acted as judge and introduced Radio DJ
Nikki Hayes. Samantha says that there is so much talent out there: "The talent was amazing, they were all un-real, I was gob-smacked". The performers on the night made an album of songs showing the local talent. So as you can see she's involved in everything she can be, definitely fulfilling her title's role gracefully and honourably.
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| (At the Makeup Fablicious Seminar in the RDS) |
One of the most exciting projects Samantha's involved in is a new Irish Modeling competition, she says she's been told she can't give too much information but she's been helping other stars recruit top models for a new show and it's called The
Real Models Ireland Contest, similar to the
Miss United Nations Pageant, size and height isn't at the forefront of the competition and Samantha hopes it will give confidence to the shorter models out there.
Samantha says that the support she received has been unimaginable. Her family have been with her all the way and local businesses have sponsored her since the beginning: "Kay Mulcaire, the owner of the boutique Isobel in Adare gave my four outfits to wear at my first promotional photo shoot which was provided to by my sponsor Kevin Wallace, she also provided me with the dress I wore on the night of the pageant, and she gave me a dress to wear at the Makeup Fablicious seminar."
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| (Samantha at the Maggie Red Blog interview) |
I've never seen somebody so proud of their title. Samantha takes her role so seriously and wants to make a difference in the lives of young women and represent her country with pride and sophistication. Next November she will go on to compete against 75 other girls from different countries for the title of Miss United Nations International. The final contest will be a week long and entails a judged sportswear section, evening wear and interview segment. There will also be non-judged events taking place where she'll take part in the National Costume Parade she will have to showcase a talent and says she's no idea what she will do: "I've been looking at Irish songs, but I haven't found one I've liked enough yet. I want it to be different from all the others."
Samantha will be primarily focusing on her charity work alongside her fashion column in the new Limerick magazine Teen Life. She'll be attending World Animal Week for
Limerick Animal Welfare in the first week of October.
When I ask Samantha ,as Miss United Natio
ns Ireland, what she wants to be remembered for she says: " I want to have covered a wide range of things, I want to have set a very high standard for the next contestants to follow because I am the first with this title." Being a role model seems to be the most important part of all of this for Samantha, she wants to help young people, represent charities in need and help those out there who don't have a voice.
Finally, I ask Samantha what advice she has for young rising stars out there who want to become a model, a pageant winner, actress or famous personality: "I think the most important thing is to learn from your experiences, If I hadn't applied for the pageant I wouldn't be here today so I think it's important to keep on trying even if you keep getting knocked down. You need to find your niche, I wasn't suitable for some of the other competitions and then I found one that was perfect for me."
So there you have it ladies and gentleman, your
Miss United Nations Ireland 2010, Samantha Long, and what a winner she is. The next round of girls have very big shoes to fill (cute one's at that).
You can check Samantha out on Facebook HERE
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Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.
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Hey Everyone!
This post is long overdue and I am sorry about that. Life leading up to my trip to Jamaica was absolutely hectic and a lot of things had to be put on hold, including my blog updates. I did want to do an individual note for each event/appearance but at this stage, I think it would be better just to fill you in quickly.
As some of you may know, I have relocated to Dublin over the past couple of months. The fact that Dublin presents so many more opportunities was the incentive for my move and I know now that it was most definitely the right decision…
One of the first events I attended after obtaining my apartment in Dublin was the
Temple St Children’s Hospital Fundraiser thrown by Geraldine O’Callaghan (ie the “Big Bash”). You may know Geraldine from the Apprentice but I became aware of her due to her pledge to raise €15,000 for Temple St., where she herself was a patient as a child. The fundraiser was on in the Church Café Bar, Restaurant, Club and Tourist Attraction and involved an auction for a €5,000 cocktail ring courtesy of Voltaire Diamonds. Entertainment on the night was provided by girl band “Underground”. Unfortunately, I did not win the ring, but I did get to pick the ticket for another prize!
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Adam Elligott & Samantha Long at the Big Bash.
Photography by Una Williams. |
Check out some more photographs from the night on Showbiz.ie;
http://www.showbiz.ie/news/september10/21-lovely-girls-to-overthrow-united-nations.shtml
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| The Fabulous Tanzanite & Diamond Ring which was up for raffle at the Big Bash, courtesy of Voltaire Diamonds |
The following Wednesday saw the
SOSAD charity fashion show take place in Drogheda. I had been looking forward to this and had stayed in Dublin an extra 2/3 nights to attend but unfortunately car malfunctions prevented me from attending. From what I hear, the night was a huge success.
A number of days later, I found myself travelling out to Castleknock to attend the after party of the
D15 Charity Fundraiser. This was the same evening as the launch of the Dublin Festival of Fashion. The D15 Charity works towards developing the D15 community and the night had a great turn-out, including quite a few familiar faces from the Dublin social scene.
The
Dublin Festival of Fashion took place from Friday, the 1st of October until Sunday, the 3rd of October. All over the city, fashion events took place showcasing the best of autumn/winter fashion for 2010. I spent most of the weekend in the Church Café Bar, Restaurant, Club and Tourist Attraction availing of the advice by stylist Maureen O’Halloran and the free make-up applications by MakeupFabLicious.
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| Photography by Philippe Holderied. |
On Saturday, I got my make up done by Amy McGuire of
MakeupFabLicious and that night, I attended the Launch of
Daddy or Chips in the Good Bits which included a fashion show for Skunkfunk and Kling.
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| Amy McGuire & Samantha Long at the Dublin Festival of Fashion. |
On Sunday, I was again in the Church Café Bar, Restaurant, Club and Tourist Attraction doing an interview.
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| Makeup by Makeup FabLicious student Amy McGuire. |
On the 21st of October, I could be found in the Grand Canal Theatre accepting a cheque on behalf of
Aware from
Robert Roberts Coffee. Each year, Robert Roberts Coffee donates the proceeds from its Colombian Tres Rios coffee to Aware, and I was honoured to be a part of this. I also participated in a photo shoot alongside Kate Hartley of Aware and Claire from Robert Roberts Coffee with photographer Gerry Morgan.
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| At the Aware/Robert Roberts Coffee Cheque Presentation. |
The next day, I met with designer
Carol Shaw who had very kindly offered to design jewellery for my trip to Jamaica. We went over designs for jewellery to match my evening gown and for jewellery that would go with everything else! Many thanks to Carol for doing such an amazing job.
Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.
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Hey Everyone!
Last week was the week I had been waiting for since July - the world finals of Miss United Nation International 2010 in Negril, Jamaica! While I did not win the world title, I did come home as Miss United Nation Europe 2010.
I know a lot of people are dying to know what us contestants got up to for the last week in Jamaica so here's a break-down:
I arrived on Sunday night (the 7th of November), having travelled for a little over 24 hours and having gotten stuck in Heathrow for a few hours. Needless to say, I was delighted to have finally arrived when I did!
The day after, the rest of the contestants arrived all day long. The hotel put on a karaoke night for us so we could all mingle and get to know each other. My roommate, Charice, Miss Teen Americas from Barbados, also arrived.
On Tuesday morning we had orientation, where we were introduced to the United Nation Pageant System staff/representatives. We received our national sashes and then went to visit an All Age School. We also went on a tour of Negril Lighthouse, went to Rick's Cafe to watch the sunset, stopped by Margaritaville where we had a bit of a dance, then we went back to the hotel for a buffet dinner and had our first rehearsal for the big show.
Wednesday morning was a very early start - we had to be ready for 5.45am. We had rehearsals for the show and then we went off to attend another school visit, which was totally different to the first school. After that, we went to Sweet River where we relaxed for the afternoon and had time to bond, take pictures, swim in the river, horse-ride and where we had a cook-off in the middle of a meadow. When we returned to the hotel that evening, we had more rehearsals before a talent show. The talent competition had been organised for entertainment purposes but once the Pageant staff saw the performances, it was decided that a top 5 would be picked and that these people would perform on the night of the final.
On Thursday, we had the morning off to relax. This was followed by rehearsals in the afternoon as well as a photo shoot where each of us contestants modelled designs by designers. I wore a gown by Estella Couture. Then we were off to have dinner in a local restaurant before we had more rehearsals.
Friday was one of the most important days as we had our interviews & official photo shoots. My interview was at 10.40am but I managed to do my National Costume and Haute Couture photo shoots before this. Following my interview, I did the last of my official photo shoots where I modelled my evening gown and the jewellery Carol Shaw made me. We had rehearsals for the afternoon and were given the evening to relax before the big day.
On Saturday, we had rehearsals from 9am until 4pm. Then we had until 7.30pm to get ready for the big show.
The judging was broken down in the following way:
- Communication & Community work (ie the interview) made up 40% of your score.
- The remaining 60% was made up by our performance on the night of the show, which involved a Red Dress Dance Intro, National Costume parade, Haute Couture modelling & Eveningwear. We also modelled outfits for the designers in a fashion show.
Natalie Lapointe, Miss Canada, won the Miss United Nation International title.
There were over 70 countries in the competition, approximately 30 of which were from Europe and therefore in the running for Miss United Nation Europe 2010.
I have to say, I was not expecting to win the title. I had had a brilliant time in Jamaica and was proud of how I did despite being there on my own so winning was just an absolutely fantastic plus! The people I met will be my friends for life - especially Miss North America, Miss Teen Canada and Ms. Canada who took me under their wing.
I would like to thank everyone who helped me along the way - in particular; Kevin Wallace who was my sponsor for the National final, Carol Shaw of Carol Shaw Jewellery who not only designed, sponsored and handmade my crown but who was also kind enough to design and hand-make all of the jewellery I wore at the world finals, Maureen O'Halloran, Greg Ryan, Clive Power and all of my family and friends.
A special thanks to the owner and staff of the host hotel Sea Wind Resort, Jamaica who went beyond their duties and made the whole week an absolutely amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Until Next Time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Europe 2010.
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| Sea Wind Resort, Jamaica |
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Hey Everyone!
I know that in the lead-up to my trip to Jamaica, I was guilty of procrastinating when it came to writing my blog updates/notes here on Facebook. As a result, I have made the resolution (a month before the New Year) to have my posts up within 3 days of attending an event. So here goes…
Friday evening marked the start of the Christmas and party season for a few different reasons.
One, the Late Late Toy Show was on (which I have yet to watch – but of course have seen Douglas).
Two, snow began to fall in Dublin (and continues to blanket the city in white today – something which may very well facilitate my watching of the Toy Show).
And three,
MAXtravaganza 2010 took place!
Baby Max – Wings of Love Fund was founded by Darina Ni Chuinneagain & Declan Donnelly following the tragic death of their healthy son Max nine years ago who contracted Meningitis B and Meningicoccal Septicaemia.
The first goal of the fund was to purchase a badly needed Haemofiltration Machine for Temple Street Children’s Hospital that they did not have at the time and which had to be borrowed from another hospital. This was achieved and hundreds of children have, to date, come off this machine successfully.
In memory of Max and to help and save the lives of other children, Darina and Declan solely continue to purchase all types of vital medical equipment for Hospitals/Hospices and Paediatric Units nationwide totally voluntarily ensuring all money goes to equipment.
The MAXtravaganza Ball has become an annual event in the last few years in aid of the Baby Max – Wings of Love Fund and I was delighted to be able to attend this year. It was originally planned for the 6th of November, meaning I would have to miss it as this was the day before I flew out to Jamaica. Then, I learned that the date had been changed to the 26th of November and promptly purchased a couple of tickets for Una Williams Photography's table so as not to miss what I had heard would be the best night of the year, in aid of an incredible cause that has saved so many lives to date.
The Ball itself was organised by Darina Ni Chuinneagain, Declan Donnelly and Maire Ni Chuinneagain. The evening had a Black Tie dress code, allowing me to really go all-out and wear a beautiful gown by Rachel Gilbert from
the Ivory Closet, Limerick, along with having my hair, make-up and nails done by
the Salon, IFSC. Adam Elligott accompanied me as my escort.
The occasion also featured a drinks reception, casino, four-course dinner, complimentary wine, raffle, auction, dancing and late night entertainment. The MCs on the night were Aisling O’Loughlin and Lisa Fitzpatrick. Couleur Productions put on a twenty minute fashion show with Irish designers Claire Garvey and Jennifer Rothwell, whose designs were modelled by Anne Morgan’s Absolute School of Modelling. Paul Harrington performed during the dinner and Una Gibney’s “Boogie Nights” provided the entertainment afterward. Maclean Burke and Victor Burke played the role of auctioneers while prizes included a €1000 voucher for a holiday with Falcon Holidays and to meet Jedward one to one after attending their Christmas show in the Olympia.
During the evening, Lisa Fitzpatrick was honoured by being announced as the official patron for Baby Max – Wings of Love Fund in 2011 due to her outstanding contribution to the charity.
Fitzpatrick's Killiney Castle Hotel provided a beautiful setting for this moving and commendable occasion, which was given an almost magical element when snow began to fall late in the evening.
MAXtravaganza 2010 certainly lived up to its reputation of being an absolutely brilliant night, while raising a significant amount for the Baby Max – Wings of Love Fund.
I would like to thank my wonderful agent and great friend, Maureen O'Halloran who was the one who introduced me to Darina at a charity fundraiser in October. I look forward to supporting Baby Max - Wings of Love Fund again in the future.
If you wish to donate to the charity, simply call into any AIB Branch and make your donation to the
BABY MAX- Wings of Love Fund
Account No: 10062299 Sort Code: 93 35 70
Alternatively you can text ‘MAX’ to 57604 or contact Darina on 086 4053184
http://www.babymax.ie/
Until Next Time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Europe 2010.
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| Samantha Long, Carol Shaw & Maureen O'Halloran. |
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Hey Everyone!
On Wednesday evening (the 1st of December), I braved the snow in order to attend the FabLicious Fashion Show in La Stampa Hotel on Dawson Street, which marked the graduation of the 2010 students at the prestigious MakeupFabLicious Academy in Dublin. I wasn’t the only one – the venue was packed with 250 guests with a “get ready” area at La Stampa available from 5pm for those who wished to come straight from work.
Each year, the MakeupFabLicious Academy Graduation involves a fashion show and a great night out, all in aid of a very worthy charity – Barnardos.
Barnardos is Ireland’s leading children’s charity, with over 40 Barnardos Centres in local communities across the country, working with vulnerable children and their families. The organisation also provides national services supporting parents and professionals with an information resource network and counselling services dealing with childhood bereavement, adoption and a Guardian ad Litem service representing children's interests in court proceedings. As well as this, Barnardos leads public awareness and advocacy campaigns to help make Ireland the best place in the world to be a child.
The fashion show on the night was produced by Emma & James English of Couleur Productions and featured designs from Synan O'Mahony, Patrick Casey, Richard Lewis and Claire O'Connor as well as Audrey Taylor, Claire O'Connor, The Design Centre, Lara boutique, Fran and Jane, Coutureonline.ie, Kabuki, Beverly Hills - Galway, Cozi Di Roze and Olivia Danielle. All of the models on the night were styled by Amanda Kevlin.
I wore a DVF dress from The Ivory Closet in Limerick and had my hair and make-up done in The Salon, IFSC.
The USP was the return of the original Irish supermodels Sheila Eustace, Siobhan Mahon, Marie Staunton, Sandra Curley and Sylvia Myers to the catwalk, while the event was sponsored by NYC and
www.shopin.ie .
Following the fashion show, guests were treated to an afterparty downstairs in the Pink Nightclub.
The night was a great success with a huge crowd making the effort to brave the elements in order to raise much-needed funds for Barnardos.
A huge thank you to Rossana Dickinson, founder of the MakeupFabLicious Academy, for a great night.
If you would like to donate to Barnardos, you can do here:
https://www.barnardos.ie/changeachildslife/donate.html
Until Next Time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Europe 2010.
