Lovin' Limbo: September 2010

Hey everyone!

The most significant aspect of being Miss United Nation Ireland is to concentrate on charity and volunteer work. One of the organisations I am working with is Aware, which works towards helping to defeat depression in Ireland.

Aware's mission is to create a society where people with depression and their families are understood and supported, are free from stigma and have access to a broad range of appropriate therapies to enable them to reach their full potential.

When I was in Dublin for the Which Course Expo, I had a meeting with Sandra and Kate, who are involved in public relations and fundraising for Aware respectively. They explained to me how the organisation helps people in Ireland, through the Depression Support Groups, LoCall Helpline and education initiatives such as Beat the Blues and Life Skills Programme, among others.

While I was there, we went through some ways in which I could use my title to raise awareness for the charity as well as ways in which I could volunteer. One such way was to be involved in the Daisy Days collection.

Daisy Days is a national campaign which takes place every year and is Aware’s biggest fundraiser annually, so it’s easy to see how important it is in terms of supporting the organisation’s work. All over the country, volunteers sell pins and bulbs as well as collect donations. This year, the event took place from the 16th - 18th September.

I volunteered to do some collecting in Limerick city and so, on Friday the 17th, I could be found in Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre with two other volunteers – Liz Connelly and Maebh Fenton.

I would like to thank the photographers from the Limerick Leader and the Limerick People who came to take a few shots and therefore supported Aware in their own way. While it was quiet in the shopping centre, quite a few people did find the time to buy a pin or bulb or donate what they could, plenty of whom even donated more than the suggested €3.

Every donation counts as Aware relies on public donations and fundraising for more than 80% of its annual funding. If you couldn't donate to a collection in your area and would like to support Aware, you can donate online here;http://www.aware.ie/get_involved/donations_initiatives/donations/

I am looking forward to working with Aware again in the near-future and greatly appreciate the opportunity I have been given to use my role as a public figure to raise awareness for such a cause.

Until next time,

Samantha (Sami) Long

Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.

Sandra Hogan, PRO of Aware & Samantha Long

Liz Connelly, Samantha Long & Maebh Fenton

Kate & Samantha

Hey Everyone!

As promised in my previous blog entry, I am putting together a collection of my previous blog posts as they appeared on my Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/missunireland).

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Adare Village Festival & Isobel Boutique Fashion Show

by Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 Samantha Long on Wednesday, 07 July 2010 at 14:45

Hi everybody!

I decided that using the “notes” application of Facebook was a better option than sending updates as the notes are always accessible and so I will use this to update you on what I have done/will be doing as Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.

I cannot believe it is Wednesday already. I have been walking around in a sort of surreal bubble since the United Nations Ireland Final on Friday night. Thank you to everybody who was there for me on the night and to everybody who has shown me support since I became Miss Co. Limerick, thereby helping me secure the title of Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 and making this dream of mine come true.

Despite walking around in disbelief, I did get the chance to experience the Adare Village Festival which took place from Friday, the 2nd of July until Monday, the 5th of July. This coincided with the JP McManus Invitational PRO-AM in Adare Manor Hotel & Golf Resort on the 5th and 6th of July. Coming from Adare, I didn’t have to go far to see the festivities. However, I think that for those coming from afar it was definitely worth the drive just to experience the atmosphere (once you got through the traffic, that is).

I attended a private fashion show on Monday in a local boutique in Adare, Isobel, which was organised for the wives of the golfers. Kay Mulcaire, the owner of Isobel, also owns the K Boutique in Adare and Rathkeale and has been great to me (as have the girls who work there), providing me with outfits for the promotional photo shoot I did as Miss Co. Limerick and providing me with the Anouska G. Couture gown I wore in the Miss United Nations Ireland Final. I met many familiar faces there and found that the wives and girlfriends were extremely friendly, even helping me to pick out clothing that they thought might look good on me. It was a great success, if you ask me!

I am planning to take it easy over the next few days and spend time with family and friends before things get too hectic.

Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.

Kay Mulcaire & Samantha Long

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Launch Party at Halo

by Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 Samantha Long on Thursday, 15 July 2010 at 10:24

Hi everybody!

I hope the turn the weather has taken isn't dampening everyone's spirits too much. I ventured out in it on Saturday evening, the 10th of July, to attend a launch party in Halo: The Urban Retreat which is situated on Roches Street in Limerick. Several of the girls from Halo did us contestants' hair for the Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 Final (I don't know how they did it - they were styling non-stop for at least five hours!) so there were some familiar faces there on Saturday.

Neesha Pomajda has added a threading service to the range of services available in the in-house beauty salon in Halo; The Ivy. Threading practitioners use a pure, thin, twisted cotton thread and roll it over untidy hairlines plucking the hair at the follicle level producing a much better result than tweezing. This is something I have heard about a lot but was never aware of where one could get it done.

The event as a whole was a great success with lots of delicious food, many beverages and an extremely friendly crowd. I will definitely be going back to Halo in the future.

Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.

Samantha Long & Neesha Pomajda

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Shoot in Sligo, Crown & The Otto Clinic

by Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 Samantha Long on Wednesday, 04 August 2010 at 14:47

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven’t been updating my page very often… I’ve been quite busy.

At the start of the week before last I travelled to Co. Sligo for a photo and video shoot for a new website that is being launched this month – www.jewelleryireland.ie . The shoot took place in Markree Castle in Collooney, Co. Sligo and I modelled Carol Shaw Jewellery. I travelled up the night before and stayed overnight in the castle as I had an 8.30am start and it was quite a drive from Adare! We also filmed a commercial with a very interesting concept… I had an amazing time there and will fill you in on the details when the website goes live.

Not only did I come away from Sligo with invaluable experience but I also received my crown which was designed, handmade and sponsored by Carol Shaw, the bridal jewellery designer. It is a magnificent piece which I will wear with pride (and guard with my life, as Maureen has instructed!).

Last Thursday, I began my beauty preparations for Miss United Nation International in the Otto Clinic which is located on Barrington Street in Limerick city. When I won Miss United Nation Ireland, I received a €500 voucher for treatments there. The Otto Clinic was one of the main sponsors on the night. The clinic includes a number of ground-breaking, medically approved procedures that are exclusively available in Ireland at the Otto Clinic. I received the RF skin Rejuvenation and Skin Tightening treatment on my face and legs and had immediate results.

Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.

Samantha Long in Markree Castle, Co. Sligo modelling jewellery by Carol Shaw, a Vera Wang dress from www.discountdesigner.ie and crown designed, handmade and sponsored by Carol Shaw jewellery.

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Limerick Got Music Concert

by Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 Samantha Long on Saturday, 04 September 2010 at 21:44

Hey everyone!

On Friday night I attended the Limerick Got Music Concert which took place in the Strand Hotel in Limerick city. The Concert was in aid of the Children's Ark Unit in the Regional Hospital and featured all of the acts which recorded songs for the Limerick Got Music Album, which will be on sale in September. The objective of the album is to promote local talent on a National Level, to promote Limerick city and, most significantly, to raise funds for the Children's Ark Unit. The funds will support the development, provision and maintenance of child-friendly enhancements in the hospital.

At around 9pm, the show kicked off with my welcoming of the audience and introduction of the MC for the night, 2fm's Nikki Hayes. My role on the night was to act as a judge and, as a result, I certainly had one of the best seats in the house! Also on the panel were Maureen O'Halloran, Sarah Brown and Blue Shinners. Nestled just in front of the stage, I was absolutely blown away by all of the acts that performed. Having lived almost all of my life in Limerick, I was utterly shocked that I had never come across any of these performers before. The talent was unbelievable.

The first half of the show saw eleven acts perform – Niall Skehan, Karasmatic, Angelina K, Triona O'Dea, Katie McAvinue, Ciara Hayes, Vanessa Long, Falling Planes, Sarah Sheehy, Georgina Lubek and Priscilla Cronin.

During the interval, Ireland's No. 1 Magic Man Leon Anderson entertained the crowd with some mindboggling illusionary magic, with Nikki Hayes as a very entertaining assistant. This was followed by a raffle for prizes donated by local businesses.

The second half saw performances from Pauline Whelan, Claire Wormoyle, Clara Leahy, Jason O'Doherty (producer of the Limerick Got Music Album), Sinead O'Brien, Brian Harnett, Claire Jones, Kelly Brosnan, Elaine O'Halloran, Amy Jones, Tommy Quinn & Sound Affair and Vendt.

The entire evening was a huge hit and, judging by the talent there, I have high expectations for the success of the album.

Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.

Limerick Got Music Performers

Samantha Long & Niamh O'Halloran

Leon Anderson

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MakeupFabLicious Seminar

by Miss United Nation Ireland 2010 Samantha Long on Saturday, 04 September 2010 at 21:44

Hey everyone!

Last weekend, I travelled to Dublin to the Which Course Expo in the RDS to take part in a seminar for MakeupFabLicious Make-Up Academy on Sunday, 29th August.

The MakeupFabLicious Make-up Academy was opened by TV celebrity make-up artist Rossana Dickinson to provide the best tuition feasible and highly structured make up courses. It is the only make up college in the country which offers its students ongoing support and TV and theatrical work experience as well as organizing its own events to showcase graduates work.
http://www.facebook.com/MakeupFabLiciousAcademy

My role on the day was to model in the seminar which was entitled “The Beautiful Business of Make Up” and which illustrated everything that goes into a photo shoot – the hair, make up, styling and photography. The hair stylist was Ciara O’Neill, a student in the MakeupFabLicious Academy, who used rollers and a lot of teasing to create lots of volume. My make up was done onstage by Angela Gallagher of MakeupFabLicious using NYC products while Maureen O’Halloran provided the styling and the whole thing was photographed by Una Williams.

Rossana Dickinson introduced the demonstration which saw Angela create a make-up look inspired by the Dior Autumn/Winter 2010 collection and which featured a very strong, bold lip and shades of plum. The hair was also inspired by the same collection. The dress I modelled was from Isobel in Adare, Co. Limerick and complimented the make-up perfectly.

Once the hair, make-up and styling was complete and the seminar was therefore coming to an end, I stepped offstage for a photo shoot with photographer Una Williams. Check out the fantastic photographs on her facebook page;
http://www.facebook.com/UnaWilliamsPhotography

The show gave a very good indication of what it is like in photo shoots – there is a very strict schedule as time is money and nobody wants to wait around for the make-up artist to finish. They must work with incredible speed while continuously ensuring that the make-up is perfect.

I had a great time there and would like to thank everyone who was involved. The seminar was filmed by Martin Connolly. I will post a link to the video when it has been uploaded online.

Until next time,
Samantha (Sami) Long
Miss United Nation Ireland 2010.