Super Model Smile

Super Model Smile

I don't usually shop in M&S, unless it is for food, in which case I can't rave enough about their sandwiches and salads. In fact, if you are having a picnic M&S is the place to go! However apart for their divine food offerings, I tend not to shop in M&S as it is less aimed toward my age.

However for my birthday, bless her, my grandma gave me some money to spend in store. And as soon as the voucher fell out of the card I knew what I wanted to spend it on. So I marched into M&S, guided by the sparkling rose gold in the corner of the store and heading straight for the Rosie for Autograph make up collection. There is no doubt that Rosie has done incredible things for M&S, since collaborating with them a few years ago. Her lingerie and nightwear collection is beautiful, in sexy but classy way, but it was her makeup range I was desperate to try.

I've heard so many things from other bloggers raving about her makeup. Not only is it incredibly aesthetically pleasing (rose gold is always a winner in my eyes!), but it has been described as incredible quality for value.

A fair amount of time and a hand covered in swatches later I decided upon this beautiful rose gold lip glossy. The shade I chose was shade 1, Super Model Smile. Could there be a more fitting name for this product?! The product is a lip gloss/lip balm hybrid, a texture that I love. It's glossy, but not too shiny and really lovely to apply without being too sticky. And the shade is absolutely beautiful. It just so natural, but somehow really brightening. It's the perfect pinky glossy finish to a natural daytime look. And one that I have kept in my daytime makeup bag ever since I bought it.

Basically I absolutely love this product. It would definitely be in the top 5 lip colours I have ever tried! And if you have seen my lipstick/gloss collection you will know that is saying something!

I really want to try some more products from this collection. So let me know if you have any recommendations below, or which products that you would love to try!

Speak soon xx

Cyprus

Cyprus

Yesterday I arrived in Cyprus with my family after a tiring two part night flight. It’s only a couple of weeks since I was in the South of France (feeling like a bit of a jet-setter at the moment!). But I really feel like I need this holiday to spend some time with my family and hopefully get a bit of sun!

The villa we are staying in is beautiful. Up near the mountains of Northern Cyprus, but looking out on to the bright blue sea and a short drive from the beach. There is a large pool at the front looking on to the panoramic view and a couple of sun beds and some floats for getting that all important glow! However…there is no wifi! A blogger/social media obsessives worst nightmare!

I’m torn. In a way I’m grateful, I know it will do me the world of good to have a break from my phone an laptop. To give my eyes a rest from staring at a screen and my thumb a rest from scrolling! Yet part of me is totally dying! I can’t text, call or message anyone with out it costing me the earth! I can’t make people jealous on Instagram and Snapchat with beautiful holiday pictures. I won’t even be able to watch MiC on Monday!

But I am still trying to blog. One thing that I really wanted to use this time for on holiday was to catch up with my blog and get back into posting more frequently. It’s something I have spoken a lot about recently. About how I’m not really happy with my blog and how I am struggling to find the time to put as much work into it as I would like. A lot of the bloggers that I look up to are people that blog for a living. So it’s hard to manage the expectations of what I can do alongside a full-time job and a three hour commute each day!

Either way, I’m still working on it. It’s not that I have writers block, there is actually so much stuff that I would like to share. I probably have nearly 20 lots of post photos ready but still not found the time to write them all.

So this holiday, while I can’t promise that I will be posting a whole lot due to my little issue that is lack of internet. I can say that I am ready to get back into writing, to spilling my thoughts and feelings and inspiration out onto a page.

So I hope that you are all well and I look forward to writing for you again!

Speak soon xx

South of France

South of France

A couple of weeks ago I took a short holiday (my first time off work in 3 months), to Aix En Provence in the South of France to visit my boyfriend Jack and to celebrate his 21st. For this year while I am working at ASOS Jack is also taking a year out of university to study Economic in France, and yes, in French! So we are back to long distance again, but special holidays like these make the months between seeing each other go a little quicker.

Apart from a few Instagram posts I didn't do any blogging and wasn't particularly active on social media. It gave me a chance to just switch off from the world and the fast paced life working in London and just spend some quality time with Jack. But as the South of France was so beautiful I did take a few pictures so I thought I would pull some of the nicest together and share them with you.

I had the most wonderful week hiking, swimming in the sea, sunning on the beach, shopping and exploring beautiful little towns and markets. And of course eating, most of the holiday was based around food! We had ice creams, incredible bagels, lots of pasta and bread and cheese. Not the healthiest of weeks, but we did a lot of walking so in my head it was all justified.

On my first day we went hiking along some beautiful coastline with white cliffs and turquoise sea. And then we walked down and found a lovely little cove where everyone was swimming, it was just magical.

I'm now back at home, what feels like a million miles away from my holiday in the South of France. I'm tucked up in bed wearing fluffy socks and clutching a tea for warmth. In the week that I was away Summer most definitely came to an end and everything is feeling very Autumnal.

I am actually lucky enough to be going on another holiday next week with my family, and hopefully catching one last bit of sun!

Speak soon xx

Jacket of Dreams

Jacket of Dreams

More frequently, probably due to the tremendous amount of fashion magazines and blogs that I read, I have an item that I am wishing for stuck in my head. It's probably based on a designer item I have seen that I am trying to find a dupe of for a fraction of the price. But either way having an image of the "perfect" item stuck in my head makes be incredibly fussy. I've probably already decided the colour, fabric and length, basically exactly how the piece should be, and how it should look on me! And usually it can take years to find! Does anyone else have this problem of is it just me!?

Going into each new season I usually have a little mental list of items that I want to buy into. Right now for example I'm on the hunt for a pair of grey wool shorts, some brown leather ankle boots and a printed silk square scarf. But a piece that have been on my list for years (no exaggeration) was a beige aviator jacket. Basically the ACNE STUDIOS one, but without the £2000 price tag! And every year when coat season came around I would search in every store for my dream jacket.

That was until Zara! Beside from being my favourite shop just for all clothing (although particularly Winter I find), Zara are amazing at creating dupes for designer pieces, something in just a couple of weeks after they have been on the Catwalk.

After the most amazing trip to London Fashion Weekend with my mum we decided to pop into the beautiful Zara in Sloane Square just to have a little browse around. And it really is such a beautiful store that I really recommend! When I first walked in I started spotting a couple of aviator jackets. The first was in a lovely light grey however it was longer that I was looking for. The second was small and thin and in an orangey beige...and the third was perfect.

And they had one left in my size! So I tried it on straight away and it fit like a shearling lined, super cosy glove. The price tag was a little high (although nothing compared to the £2000 ACNE one!), so obviously I completely forgot the fact that I DO NOT need another Winter coat/jacket and bought it! Zara also have this amazing way of changing their stock almost completely every couple of weeks so that if you see something you buy it straight away as you don't know if it will even be on sale in a weeks time!

I've managed to find the exact jacket on the Zara website incase you also want to treat yourself to something snuggly for Winter as well!

Suede Effect and Fleecy Jacket 

So here I am, with the jacket of my dreams. Just hoping the weather gets very cold, very soon. Recently I've actually been hanging it on the back of my cupboard so that I can admire it just before I go to bed! Sad, I know! But in a way I feel proud and like it is a huge accomplishment that I have finally found something that I have been dreaming up for years!

Maybe I need to get out more...or just go back to Zara and see if they have anymore dreamy items in store that I need for Winter!

Speak soon

 

London Fashion Weekend

London Fashion Weekend

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to go to London Fashion Weekend at the Saachi Gallery, such a beautiful venue in Sloane Square. And while the trains weren’t exactly on my side (are they ever at the moment!?), the weather was lovely and for once I felt like I dressed appropriately.

I chose to take an over-the-knee booted step out of my comfort zone for the occasion, and wore this gorgeous floral maxi dress with a front split. I think the only time I have worn maxi dresses is for balls and my prom! During the day if I do wear a dress, as 90% of the time I will be in skinny jeans, then it’s a mini dress (not a body con though!). So for me this was huge, and I loved it! I spent the day feeling like a fashion princess!

And you won’t believe how much the dress in question cost me! £1!! It’s a little mean of me to boast about it as I got it from an ASOS sample sale a few weeks ago. However the dress is online at the moment and I think it is discounted so it is really reasonable. And you can click on the link below if you want to have a little look.

Goldie Great Lengths Maxi Dress

When we first arrived at 10am in the morning, a particularly early start for a Sunday, we had a little browse around some of the stalls. They had a few brands that I had heard of and a few brands that I hadn’t, but everything just looked so beautiful and luxurious. There were leather jackets, denim dresses, beautiful tailored suits and the softest faux fur. And while the majority of things were a little out of my budgets (especially the week before pay day!) I was so nice just to wonder around, get some pictures and just take everything in.

Wondering around the stalls and little boutiques actually left me with two little nuggets of inspiration.

1. Rather than have loads of cheaper clothes (and only a handful of them you actually wear) invest in a few pieces that you love and that are going to stand the test of time.


2. Be more daring! My aim for this season is to try and be a little more bold in my fashion choices, and I think that working at ASOS surrounded by so many fashionable people is the best place to be for inspiration. I’m not saying blindly follow every fashion trend! But wearing a floral maxi dress with a split up the front was pretty daring for me - and I felt fabulous.

We also saw a couple of lovely shows, displaying trends such a Winter florals, velvet and beautiful lace. I am now desperate to get my hands on something velvet is a rich jewel tone. I have seen a lot of velvet at the moment and I was a bit on the fence at first. It’s a texture that reminds me too much of my childhood dressing up days and makes me feel a little funny when it’s brushed the wrong way. And then I read a lovely article in Style magazine about the texture of the season and how it’s great because it is actually very difficult to tell the different between the designer and the hughstreet, as velvet is just really velvet. Unless you want to get all technical and say that the expensive will be silk and the cheap will be polyester! So I’m going to do a little online hunting as soon as I click the upload button for this post!

Speak soon xx