Sunday 21 December 2014

Last Minute Christmas Gift Ideas

With less than a week to go until the big day, you're probably mostly done with your Christmas shopping. But no matter how prepared you think you are, there's always that one person you weren't expecting to receive from, or one person you just could not find anything suitable for, despite how hard you looked. Or maybe you just haven't started yet. Here's my quick selection of Christmas gift ideas for the last minute shopper.



1) Wheat Cat - New Look
What could be more perfect than a microwaveable heat up teddybear to help embrace the current long winter nights? With a soft faux fur outer layer, this wonder comes in an owl design too.

2) The Night Before Christmas Bath Products - Lush
You can't really go wrong with the Lush gift sets, and this one seems perfect for a Christmas treat. At a reasonable price, the set contains three festive bathfizzers: Christmas Eve; Father Christmas; Twilight.

3) Floral Print String Lights - Urban Outfitters
Strung fairy lights are such a simple way to add a touch of homeliness to any room, delicately forming a warm glow and feminine touch.

4) Hook a Duck Bath Game - Debenhams
This bath edition of the funfair game ultimately must make any bath more entertaining. It can be used in a bowl for some family post-Christmas dinner games too!

5) Why You Can Go Out Dressed Like That (book) - Urban Outfitters
Perfect for the Fashion lover, this books explores the wildest and most controversial designs created in the world of fashion, and, exactly why you can go out dressed like that!

6) Tabletop Football - Debenhams
Lively and competitive, this tabletop football is bound to allow hours of fun! The tabletop factor makes it small and easily portable too!


Monday 24 November 2014

The AMAs Red Carpet Best Dressed

The annual American Music Awards kicked off over in LA last night and we witnessed some of the greatest names in pop grace the red carpet. There's really nothing I don't love about a brand new collection of red carpet looks - here's my favourite from the AMAs.

Taylor Swift
A goddess in green

Subtle, elegant and sophisticated, Taylor opted for this Michael Kors number where the gorgeous emerald green is left mundane, leaving the figure hugging style to emphasize her feminine and elegant silhouette. The sweetheart neckline increases the level of delicacy whilst the large cutout feature adds an element of bravery.

Kendal Jenner 
OK so we can see her knickers, but the dress is so pretty that we'll let her of this time.

Model Kendall Jenner wrapped up in a Yigal Azrouel monochrome halterneck with a sheer wrap over skirt. Baring the skin, the maxi style of the wrap over adds total chic sophistication and gracefulness, whilst the detailing of the sheer adds an element of delicacy against the contrast between the white and black tones.

Nicki Minaj
Yes, that really is Nicki Minaj, with not even a hint of buns or anaconda on display. She's gone all demure and boy does it suit her.

"You can never be too over or under dressed in a Little Black Dress." Nicki Minaj completely settles this as she struts the red carpet in this Alexander Wang creation. The tiny pleats create a slightly rough, crinkled texture, whilst the dainty sections of red and silver create an air of excitement.

Rita Ora
Not a lot of people can pull off canary yellow, but Rita managed it in this showstopper of a gown. Teaming the frankly massive frock with a slicked back top knot and nude lips, she looked oh-so-gorge.

Dramatic, striking and vivid, Rita Ora looked stunning in this bright yellow Zac Posen design. I love the brilliant flare of the fishtail style skirt as the fabric folds and hangs creating a beautiful ripple surrounding Rita's feet.

Julianne Hough
Julez rocked the red carpet in this neon number with geometric cut out detailing. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Julianne Hough graced the carpet in this beautiful orange floor length Zuhair Murad design. The trumpet train adds complete elegance whilst the figure cinching style enhances her feminine sillhouette alongside the thigh high split, also creating a slightly daring and dramatic edge. The pink triangular crystals add a level of intricate detail whilst adding an ounce of glitz and glamour.


What were your favourite AMA red carpet looks?


Wednesday 22 October 2014

Tanya Burr Lipgloss

Now I know that this was a bit of a slow one for me, and I may seem completely and utterly behind with the times, but I quite recently realised something: I never got around to trying a Tanya Burr lipgloss. How? I have absolutely no idea.


Simply and subtly, the packaging appears to have a professional and sophisticated look, with the black top adding a slight dramatic effect. I love the soft typography of the words 'Tanya Burr' as I think that the swirly aspect gives it a smooth, feminine appeal.


I opted for the colour 'Chic', as I wanted a light and subtle shade for the summer months of the time which I bought it, and the colour was absolutely perfect for the shade that I wanted.. However, I will definitely be trying a darker colour for the up and coming Winter ahead of us.


With not being a particularly big lipgloss wearer (why? They're so sticky and never seem to last past 10 minutes), I am pleasantly surprised with how much I love and use this one. It lasts a jolly good while and, dare I say it, is not too sticky either! Perfect.

Have you tried any of Tanya Burr's lipglosses? Which colour is your favourite?

Wednesday 8 October 2014

September Favourites

Oh hey there October! Where has September gone? It's been such a busy month for me, what with going back to college to start A2, whilst picking up Photography as another subject and I feel like if I blink it'll be November already, so, without further ado, let's get underway with my September favourites.


It's as simple as your 1, 2, 3's - Autumn transitioning equals layers. I've been especially adding this pale washed denim jacket into the layering formula over the past few weeks for it being so versatile in the way that it so easily complements and recycles summer playsuits and dresses and skirts that we're not quite ready to say goodbye to yet.


Another favourite which I've been wearing this month is this fabulously pink jacquard jumper. I spotted this in the New Look sale for an irresistible price of just £3, and, following the Moschino SS15 barbie themed MFW show, this will definitely be one for teaming with white jeans to recreate the look later on. The sleeves are 3/4 length and it's slightly cropped meaning that it's perfect for the current morning-freeze-but-sweltering-by-midday weather and also pairing with high-waisted jeans.


All things check, tartan and grid are set to be huge again this A/W and I love love love it. So of course I made no exceptions with this monochrome grid print backpack! It's really practical and surprisingly spacious, designed with both a front pocket and an inside one, making it perfect for college at the moment.

I recently wanted to try a new darker eyeshadow with the aim of adding depth and tone to the crease and outside of my eyelids. When I first bought this metallic one, I was a bit wary of how dark it actually was, but it soon became a part of my daily makeup routine, and you only have to use a small amount with each application, oh, and it's long lasting too!



There was a period of time back in the summer when my Instagram was full of these (or similar) heart bowls. Finding birthday presents for the parents is probably one of the hardest things, so I thought these would be ace for mums. Thankfully, she loved them and they're so pretty and great for things like BBQs or nibbly bits!


What were your September favourites?

Thursday 25 September 2014

London Fashion Week

As you probably already know, last week played host for London Fashion Week over at the infamous Somerset House, Topshop Show Space and Freemasons Hall. I was lucky enough to get a front of house internship with a PR company - Ella Dror - and attended my first ever season. It was an experience I'll never forget and I really hope that I can do it again another season.




Instead of waffling on and on about all of the looks I saw, I thought it best to pick my favourite of the four shows to write about: Sibling.

(All other photos are not my own)

Was anyone else completely and utterly blown by the statement bow at Sibling? Oh so adorably spring. Bralets and crops seem set to stay for spring/summer next season, but we can also expect beautiful full skirts layered with volumes of ruffles to make an appearance on our shop shelves. Texture combinations were a big thing for Sibling's show this season as sheers clashed with thick bundles of fabric creating such a stunning contrast. The colour orange also made a regular appearance, alongside monochromatic blacks and whites.




Monday 8 September 2014

Geometric Monochrome

I know it's time for transitioning into AW14 and all, but the weather's still pretty warm and I've only recently really just bought this dress in the Boohoo sale, so why shoo summer away so soon? Oh, and besides, there's nothing more autumn/winter than a bit of monochrome, right?

-

Admittedly, I'm not the biggest wearer of dresses, but when I spotted this one at such a good price in the boohoo sale, I simply could not resist. Anything monochrome can really be worn all year round making this great for layering in the up and coming autumn months where I'll probably be teaming it with a chunky knits and ankle boots. I'm also quite liking the whole retro/70s look coming back around, so I think this geometric shift dress is pretty fitting.


By teaming this with my plain black kimono and white caged sandals, I tried to maintain the moody monochrome look. Call me slow, but I can't believe I only purchased my first kimono a couple of weeks ago - the things I've been missing out on! They're so cool to wear in hot weather and just perfect for covering up your shoulders and adding a more elegantly floaty feel.

Dress - Boohoo
Kimono - Boohoo
Shoes - New Look

Have you picked up any bargains in the end of summer sales?


Saturday 6 September 2014

South France Holiday Diary

There's one type of post that I've particularly enjoyed reading over the past couple of months: the holiday diary. I think there's just something rather nice and interesting about seeing what other people have been getting up to over the summer and what they've been enjoying - or perhaps I'm just nosy - so I thought I'd follow the trend and upload my own little holiday diary.

Last week, we jetted off to Antibes, in the south of France for a long weekend away. I've never actually been to the south of France before, and to be honest, it wasn't quite what I had expected, in fact, it was a whole lot better! For some unknown reason, I had expected a slightly warmer edition of the UK, but being in the north of the Mediterranean, there was a lot more palm trees and a lot more sun!

We flew with Easy Jet and it really was easy! The flight was smooth and despite a small delay of ten minutes, we still made it in good time. The sky was clear of clouds coming over our destination so we got a good view of the country from up above. Once landed in Nice, the process of departing the plane was so quick and really took no time at all.


This year we opted to try something different to our usual choice of a hotel by staying in a villa which we booked through Airbnb. The owner of the villa was so helpful and picked us up from the bus stop before booking a taxi for us since we speak very little French.


The villa, located in Juan Les Pins, was so well equipped with a washing machine, oven, dishwasher, microwave, kettle, fridge freezer, plates, glasses and even salt and pepper! The owner, Martine, was also kind enough to leave us a bottle of water in the fridge along with a bunch of grapes on the table too!


Alongside the kitchen, there were two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a toilet - I was actually surprised at how big and spacious the place was. 


We stayed on the first floor of the building; Martine lives on the ground floor which is really helpful if you need anything. However, everything is separated and different - you honestly wouldn't even know that she's there! Around one side of the villa circles a balcony which leads to a gate and some steps: the entrance/exit. It was so safe and secure with a couple of locked gates to get through.






Additionally, there was another balcony around the back which looked out onto some beautiful views.



Most days we spent at the beach which was only a couple of minutes walk from the villa. The sea was pretty cold, but refreshing, and once you got in, its wasn't bad at all! The depth was shallow for quite a way and there were a fair few fish swimming around! Distributed along the beach were a number of kiosks selling a variety of things ranging from hot dogs to fruit smoothies to ice-creams - even nutella paninis!!


We ate out most nights during our stay, but my favourite in particular had to be this cute little restaurant just off of the beach. I had the nicest Carbonara which was served with bread followed by a kinder surprise ice-cream for dessert which was probably the second best ice-cream I'd ever tasted! (It didn't quite beat the nutella one we had on the beach, but that's one flavour I don't think will ever be beaten!)






The water jug was a colour tinted wine bottle which was unusually different but so cute!


We had such a nice few days in Antibes and I would really recommend it to anyone!


Just in case anyone's interested, you can click here for the link to the villa which we stayed in. Also, if you would like to try airbnb for your next trip, use this link to get a £15 credit on your booking.

Did you go away this summer? Where did you go?

Monday 1 September 2014

Neon Pink Pop

Hello (or should I say bonjour) from the south of France where I'm currently chilling on the balcony of the villa that we're staying in after just heading out to dinner. Yesterday, we spent the day on the beach where I opted to wear my favourite playsuit from boohoo.com.


Playsuits are just so comfortable and practical (okay, besides those I need to strip in order to go to the toilet moments) and so easy to style without having the trouble of searching for the perfect top to pair it with. I'm still completely loving Aztec print alongside the monochrome trend, and let's not forget to mention the fact that pink is my favourite colour, there's no wonder I fell for this at first sight! I love the brightness of the neon pink and how it breaks up the moodyness of the monochrome, adding that summer touch.


I decided to team this with my super comfortable jelly shoes from New Look - they're practically the definition of beach perfection.


Have you been sporting the all-in-one trend this summer? How have you been wearing it?

Monday 25 August 2014

Plymouth Aquarium

A couple of weeks ago we headed out for the day to Plymouth Aquarium in order to capture some photos for my Unit 3 Textiles which I will be starting in September: Sea Life. There were so many pretty fish and other sea life creatures of all colours and patterns and I managed to take lots of photos which will hopefully stem some textile ideas. We even stuck around one part to watch the divers in the big tank which was pretty interesting. The aquarium really is a great day out, so I thought I'd share some of the pictures that I took.
















I think my favourites have to be the pink lion fish (just look at those patterns!) and the turtle which was just so fascinating and graceful! Have you been to the aquarium lately? What were your favourites?