When blogger-of-the-moment and full-on fashionista Jessika Banaghan celebrated her Debs three years ago, she couldn’t find the right dress – even after weeks of searching.

“So I went for a custom-made piece,” she explains in an exclusive, Debs-special sit-down with SHEmazing!

“I had been really inspired by a red-carpet look Carrie Underwood rocked for the Grammys – she had a full-sleeve detail that I found impossible to source anywhere, so in the end I had it made for me.”

She admits she had to splash out to get her perfect gown – and evidently, plenty of us feel similarly: the recently-released SHEmazing! Debs survey revealed that some young women in Ireland are forking out more than €1,000 of their special night.

On a day-to-day basis, however, Co Tipp-native Jess always has one eye on a style bargain.

“I have a load of Penneys stuff that I love.

“But you have to put aside time and be prepared to go rooting,” she advises. “Get ready to make a mess in the store!

“Don’t impulse buy. Pick-up what suits you – not what suits your mate or what looks good on a celebrity. And don’t try and force yourself to like a certain trend.”

Ms Banaghan has been blogging about fashion, beauty and lifestyle via her immensely popular ChaosWearingLipgloss for a little over two years now, and in recent months, things have really begun to take off.

 

I am loving @glenlo_abbey Such an amazing venue for the #itwbnbloggerevent

A photo posted by Jessika Banaghan (@jess_selfiegirl) on Sep 27, 2015 at 8:29am PDT

“It’s incredible,” the 22-year-old adds. “But it’s time-consuming and it’s taken a lot of work to get it to where it is now.”

She continues: “It’s tough out there too; you’re trying to find your niche as a blogger. You have to stay true to yourself but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I always have one eye on the competition too.”

Jess then laughs: “My poor parents though – I always have a device in my hand. They’re forever telling me to put down my phone.”

Now in her final year studying event management at DIT, Jessika moved to Dublin from Tipperary aged 19, and this summer found herself inadvertently spending more time back at her family home.  

“I went through a break-up,” she says, honestly. “There was a lot of heartache. But being around my mum forced me to get up in the morning and put on a bit of makeup, rather than just wallowing.

“And now I’ve come up the other side and I can actually take a lot of positives from the experience.”

These days, the DIT student is balancing her various commitments: namely college work, attending fashion or styling events in the capital, and – of course – blogging.

“But I’m pretty low-maintenance,” she says. “I don’t spend hours on hair and makeup; I only wear heels if I have to; I’m forever getting changed in my car en route somewhere or other.”

Finally, if she has one piece of advice for sourcing a killer Debs dress on a budget, she says that colour is key.

“Everyone will probably gravitate towards black, white, or maybe red,” Jessika explains. “So go in the other direction. Green is brilliant because it stands out, but it’s a shade pretty much everyone can wear.

“There should be more green in this world!”