September Goals

I don't know about anyone else, but to me September feels more like the new year than January ever does. As a recently graduate this is my first September that I won't be heading back into education, and I feel a little weird about it! Part of me is still desperate to race to WH Smiths and stock up on stationery that I don't even need. To crush this urge and simply because I now find myself in the "adult" chapter of my life I thought I would set myself out some goals...so here goes.

 

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LEARN SOME COMPUTER PROGRAMMING

This is something I have wanted to do for so long, as I now find myself with a bit of time before I start work this seems like the perfect opportunity. I'm trialling some free online classes at the moment so I will let you know how I get on.

 

SWAP COFFEE FOR HERBAL TEA

I love coffee, especially ones with sweetener and a load of cream, but I know that they aren't that great for me. Wherever possible I am trying to swap coffee for a herbal tea, and there are so many to chose from which makes it a little easier.

 

READ MORE BEFORE BED

I got so into reading this Summer. There's just something about being on holiday that makes we want to lie in the sunshine and read all day. Now that I am back home I am already picking my book up less frequently which is sad. I have said this so many times but I want to try and find half an hour before bed to read, rather than looking at my phone!

 

NEW DO FOR A NEW YOU

I have been thinking about cutting my hair for a while. I keep saving images on Pinterest and Instgram of shoulder length styles . But I have had my hair to half way down my back since I was about 12 and it has almost become my safety blanket.[/su_row]

 

I think that's all for now, I love making lists but I don't want to get too carried away with promises that I can't make! Has anyone else made any goals for September, I would love to hear them in the comments below!

Speak soon, xx

The Uni Bedroom Tour

I have been living in my new home for about 6 weeks now, so I though it was about time I shared a few pictures. I say "home" but home will always be the the house I am currently sitting in as I type this, the place I grew up, with the marble kitchen and walls of grandpas paintings. My house in Manchester where I am living for my final year is not quite as homely. Like any typical student accommodation it is run-down, cold and a bit damp, complete with peeling walls and leaking showers! However, I have made my bedroom as much as possible an oasis of calm and creativity. And despite the dodgy lighting and awful blue carpets (with gum trodden in!), I think I have done okay!

This is one of my favourite parts of my room - the clothes rail! Right now it is filled with all of the clothes that I am loving for Autumn. So loads of coats and jackets, fur, bottle green and burgundy shades, dark florals and winter dresses. And I have covered the beam with inspiration that I have cut out of magazines.

Above my wardrobe I've got a few little decorative items - candles, plants, photos and my polaroid. I also keep my perfumes and jewellery here so after I am dresses I remember to put those on.

I keep all of my beauty products out of the way but still organised and accessible in these little baskets. The top one is for face products and the bottom is for hair and body. And obviously some more little plants on top!

This year I am lucky enough to have a sink in my bathroom! It's great to be able to do my face routine and brush my teeth in the morning and evening in my own bedroom. Plus I can have luxury Ted Baker soap that my friend got me for my birthday which I probably wouldn't put in a communal bathroom!

And finally the second most important part of a student room (after the bed!), where I spend the majority of my time! The desk came with the room, and while I am really lucky with home big and how much storage there is, I am not sure I love the glass. Personally I just have so much stuff that I need to put on my desk that it makes it look a bit messy.

My desk also works as my dressing table, so that after a long day of working I can swivel my chair slightly to the right and get ready for a night out! I've also got a pin board of some more inspiring magazine images and a lovely quote from Ralph Lauren.

Anyway, I think that is about it for my bedroom! It's not quite home, but when the candles are lit and the fairy lights are up it is pretty cosy!

Speak soon xx

Travel Treasures

Travel Treasures

Today I really wanted to share some of the beautiful treasures that I picked up on my recent holiday to Marrakech. Marrakech is well known for its amazing souks and hand crafted treasures. Wherever you turned there was something new to look at, and Jack and I had the best time wondering the souks, chatting to the locals and even doing a bit of haggling!

I found the whole trip to Marrakech so inspiring, how humble and happy everyone we spoke to was and the beautiful detail that they put into everything they make. I was just in awe of the stunning interiors of so many of the places that we went, including the riad that we stayed in. For me it was a little like my decor inspiration on Pinterest coming to life! So I was so happy to pick up a few bits to bring back home with me.

One of the things I was desperate to get my hands on was a white pouf. Random? Yes. Necessary? Also yes! I had seen a few of these on Pinterest and Instagram and just love how they look. I could picture it in the corner of my bedroom with a few magazines on top! There were so many places that did beautiful leather poufs, but it was made slightly hard by the fact that I already had an image in my head of exactly what I wanted. We found a place that did a lovely white pouf, but I had to explain that it was a little bigger than what I was looking for. So he took me around the corner to his friends shop where I found exactly what I wanted!

I am so happy with how this looks in my bedroom, it brings a slightly bohemian, Moroccan touch to the bedroom which I love.

If you have been reading my blog for a while or know me personally then you will know that I have a bit of a thing for scraves, particularly Pashminas. There was a point when I probably had about 70 scarves (yes, you have read that correct!). Now, after a big clear out, I probably have a more manageable 20. But that didn't stop me from picking up this beautiful white pashmina. I can picture wearing this when in gets a little colder with some skinny jeans, a little grey knit jumper and some pretty flats.

Another accessory that I couldn't resist was this stunning leather clutch. A lot of the shops in Marrakech sold fairly similar goods, in fact almost identical pieces from shop to shop. But this particular shop sold beautiful leather bags and pouches like nothing I had seen anywhere else. If I had taken more money with me I could have bought everything in this shop, it was my style down to a tea. However when I spotted this grey suede clutch with metallic details and tassel I knew it was the one. I can't wait to wear this on special occasions, but for now it is on display on one of the shelves in my bedroom.

The Moroccan slippers where a bit of a random purchase, and honestly I am not sure how much wear that I will get out of them! But they are so beautiful and intricate and I think that they look lovely displayed on my pouf! I bought these from a lovely man that Jack and I spent a bit of time chatting to so I love the memories behind these too.

And finally I got myself a little jewellery box with mother of pearl detailing that are sold all over Marrakech. I actually already have a larger one of these in my bedroom which I got a few years ago from the stalls in Egypt. But I think these are so pretty and add a lovely bit of detail to a shelf.

This bracelet however is probably the most special piece from the trip, bought for me by my lovely boyfriend. It is just my perfect piece of jewellery, a delicate mix of elegant and slightly bohemian. I also love the back story that goes behind this.

We were looking in a really cool shop that sold vintage cameras and little nic nacks, when the shop keeper said that we must visit his friends place. I am not going to lie, I was a little nervous, particularly as the place that he took us wasn't really a shop. But when we went inside it was just amazing, more like a museum really. It was two floors holding the most beautiful collection of piece from large vases, to mirrors, to costume jewellery and everything inbetween. Every space was taken up with a beautiful treasure, so that it would have taken days just to look at everything properly. The guy told us how it wasn't really a shop but a place that was only really open to collectors.

He encouraged us to pick something out (of course!) however I was worried as I knew we were in somewhere that was way over our budget. We had come on the morning of the last day on our holiday and still need food for the rest of the day and money for the airport. In the end after what I would say was more explaining our financial situation that haggling, we were given this for a very discounted rate!

This piece is just so special to me and will forever remind me of the amazing holiday that we had.

So I hoped that you enjoyed seeing the treasures that I picked up from Marrakech. There is actually one more thing that I bought however I have not put it up yet so I am going to wait until then to share it on here. Hope that you have had a lovely weekend.

Speak soon xx

My New Bedroom

My New Bedroom 

So firstly I am sorry for the lack of posts this last week, but as you might have guessed by the title of this post I have finally moved into my new uni house! I am living with 8 (I know, it's a big house!) of my best friends from uni last year and my bedroom is on the very top floor. I love looking at how people have decorated their bedrooms and their homes so I thought I would finally share with you a few pictures of my new bedroom. 

So this is basically what you see when you open the door and walk into my bedroom. I have a nice big bed in the middle of the room and then my desk and work area over in the corner. I've get the decor as light as possible to make the space feel bigger so as can only be expected there is a lot of white and pastel! 

On one end of my desk I have created like a dressing table area with all of my makeup and some beauty bits. I actually brought pretty much all of my makeup with me to university so I have everything that I could ever need. In the morning and before nights out I will just scoot my chair over to this end of my desk and do my makeup using my little desk mirror. 

I love having a lot of pretty pastel thinks like jewellery, makeup and nail polish on show as it adds detail and makes the room feel homely and girlie. 

On the other end of the desk I have my work area with my laptop, notepads and pens. I find it easier to keep all my uni books and folders away in my cupboard and take them out as and when I need them. My desk isn't huge so this way it feels tidier and I have more space. 

I actually bought this new calculator the other day. I remember being about twelve years old and being desperate for the bright pink one! Now I got just as much job buying the beautiful new white one to go with my desk space! 

I have a little bedside table where I keep a few bits and pieces. I have my white alarm clock, my lantern, glasses, a candle and my favourite photo of my brother and sister. I also have some lip balm and hand cream which I always use before bed, and then all my other bedtime beauty bits are in the drawers. 

Finally just above my desk I have this little shelf space. Here I have put my Roberts Radio on display as the colour goes perfectly with my throw. I have some beauty bits, some of my favourite jewellery and then my cacti which I just love! Which reminds me, they could probably do with a bit of water! 

There is actually a little corner of my bedroom that I haven't included in this post. Do avoid making this post too long, and because it is my favourite part of my bedroom I am going to include these pictures in a whole separate post. So keep an eye out as that will be on the blog in the next few days.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, speak soon xx

My New Bedroom

My New Bedroom 

So firstly I am sorry for the lack of posts this last week, but as you might have guessed by the title of this post I have finally moved into my new uni house! I am living with 8 (I know, it's a big house!) of my best friends from uni last year and my bedroom is on the very top floor. I love looking at how people have decorated their bedrooms and their homes so I thought I would finally share with you a few pictures of my new bedroom. 

So this is basically what you see when you open the door and walk into my bedroom. I have a nice big bed in the middle of the room and then my desk and work area over in the corner. I've get the decor as light as possible to make the space feel bigger so as can only be expected there is a lot of white and pastel! 

On one end of my desk I have created like a dressing table area with all of my makeup and some beauty bits. I actually brought pretty much all of my makeup with me to university so I have everything that I could ever need. In the morning and before nights out I will just scoot my chair over to this end of my desk and do my makeup using my little desk mirror. 

I love having a lot of pretty pastel thinks like jewellery, makeup and nail polish on show as it adds detail and makes the room feel homely and girlie. 

On the other end of the desk I have my work area with my laptop, notepads and pens. I find it easier to keep all my uni books and folders away in my cupboard and take them out as and when I need them. My desk isn't huge so this way it feels tidier and I have more space. 

I actually bought this new calculator the other day. I remember being about twelve years old and being desperate for the bright pink one! Now I got just as much job buying the beautiful new white one to go with my desk space! 

I have a little bedside table where I keep a few bits and pieces. I have my white alarm clock, my lantern, glasses, a candle and my favourite photo of my brother and sister. I also have some lip balm and hand cream which I always use before bed, and then all my other bedtime beauty bits are in the drawers. 

Finally just above my desk I have this little shelf space. Here I have put my Roberts Radio on display as the colour goes perfectly with my throw. I have some beauty bits, some of my favourite jewellery and then my cacti which I just love! Which reminds me, they could probably do with a bit of water! 

There is actually a little corner of my bedroom that I haven't included in this post. Do avoid making this post too long, and because it is my favourite part of my bedroom I am going to include these pictures in a whole separate post. So keep an eye out as that will be on the blog in the next few days.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend, speak soon xx

New Bedroom Inspiration

New Bedroom Inspiration

In less than a Week now I am going to be moving in with all my university friends into a new house, and my new bedroom. I have been so excited to decorate my new bedroom and it has been so much fun going shopping for pretty bits and pieces this Summer. So I have put together some inspiration from WeHeartIt and Pinterest. 

Unlike last year I actually have a good sized bedroom with a double bed, which is very exciting. I have decided to keep my room quite white as it is my favourite colour and have everything looking really fresh and clean. And then when Christmas coming it will be easy to change things up sligtly by adding a Christmasy throw and some pretty lights or something. I also want to have a bit of pastel blue in my room and I have a beautiful Urban Outfitters throw for my bed that is actually in the exact same pattern as the bedding second left on the bottom row. When I get up to Manchester I also want to buy quite a bit green plant to have in the corner of my room as I love the green against all the white. 

I am so excited to decorate my bedroom. I do have some rather horrible orange checked curtains to deal with, but hopefully we can get past that! Can't wait to show you all the photos once it is finished. xx

New Bedroom Inspiration

New Bedroom Inspiration

In less than a Week now I am going to be moving in with all my university friends into a new house, and my new bedroom. I have been so excited to decorate my new bedroom and it has been so much fun going shopping for pretty bits and pieces this Summer. So I have put together some inspiration from WeHeartIt and Pinterest. 

Unlike last year I actually have a good sized bedroom with a double bed, which is very exciting. I have decided to keep my room quite white as it is my favourite colour and have everything looking really fresh and clean. And then when Christmas coming it will be easy to change things up sligtly by adding a Christmasy throw and some pretty lights or something. I also want to have a bit of pastel blue in my room and I have a beautiful Urban Outfitters throw for my bed that is actually in the exact same pattern as the bedding second left on the bottom row. When I get up to Manchester I also want to buy quite a bit green plant to have in the corner of my room as I love the green against all the white. 

I am so excited to decorate my bedroom. I do have some rather horrible orange checked curtains to deal with, but hopefully we can get past that! Can't wait to show you all the photos once it is finished. xx

My Birthday!

My Birthday! 

So I am finally 19! It is really strange to think that I am now in my last year as a teenage! Anyway, I had such a lovely day yesterday thought that I would tell you a bit about it. 

My boyfriend Jack stayed over the night before so in the morning (although just!) we headed up to London as I had decided for my birthday I wanted to go to the London Aquarium. See, I am definitely not ready to be an adult yet! Sea Life was really busy but it was so cool. We saw sharks, loads of fish, jellyfish, seahorses and even penguins! But I think my favourite was actually the stingrays as they we so amazing to watch and if you kneel down at the glass and look underneath them they just pull the funniest faces! 

After Sea Life we walked around a bit and found a fun fair type thing where we went on a really high ride that spun around and had amazing views of Big Ben and the London Eye. For lunch we went to Pizza Express where Jack and I both had the Carbonara Pizza which is my new favourite! And after we ended up falling asleep in St James park for nearly an hour! 

On the way home we stopped off at a really lovely little cake shop by Borough Market were we got some amazing brownies. I have managed to save one salted caramel brownie that I might have to eat once I finish this blogpost as it is just heaven! 

Once we got home we had tea and birthday cake which my little sister had set up beautifully. And they got me some white roses which are my favourite flowers! After I opened my presents and I really was so lucky this year. In the next couple of days I am going to do a blogpost showing you what I got for my birthday so keep an eye out for that one. To end the evening after dinner we all snuggled up in blankets on the sofa with lots of sweet treats and watched Captain Corelli's mandolin. It was a really beautiful film set in Kefalonia which is where I just went on holiday. 

I'm back to work again now, but it was lovely to have the day off for my birthday and have such an amazing day up in London. Speak soon xx

My Birthday!

My Birthday! 

So I am finally 19! It is really strange to think that I am now in my last year as a teenage! Anyway, I had such a lovely day yesterday thought that I would tell you a bit about it. 

My boyfriend Jack stayed over the night before so in the morning (although just!) we headed up to London as I had decided for my birthday I wanted to go to the London Aquarium. See, I am definitely not ready to be an adult yet! Sea Life was really busy but it was so cool. We saw sharks, loads of fish, jellyfish, seahorses and even penguins! But I think my favourite was actually the stingrays as they we so amazing to watch and if you kneel down at the glass and look underneath them they just pull the funniest faces! 

After Sea Life we walked around a bit and found a fun fair type thing where we went on a really high ride that spun around and had amazing views of Big Ben and the London Eye. For lunch we went to Pizza Express where Jack and I both had the Carbonara Pizza which is my new favourite! And after we ended up falling asleep in St James park for nearly an hour! 

On the way home we stopped off at a really lovely little cake shop by Borough Market were we got some amazing brownies. I have managed to save one salted caramel brownie that I might have to eat once I finish this blogpost as it is just heaven! 

Once we got home we had tea and birthday cake which my little sister had set up beautifully. And they got me some white roses which are my favourite flowers! After I opened my presents and I really was so lucky this year. In the next couple of days I am going to do a blogpost showing you what I got for my birthday so keep an eye out for that one. To end the evening after dinner we all snuggled up in blankets on the sofa with lots of sweet treats and watched Captain Corelli's mandolin. It was a really beautiful film set in Kefalonia which is where I just went on holiday. 

I'm back to work again now, but it was lovely to have the day off for my birthday and have such an amazing day up in London. Speak soon xx

Decorating With Cacti

Decorating With Cacti

If you read my blog regularly then you will know that about a week ago I went on what I am pretty sure was my first ever trip to IKEA! You would also know that I went a little cactus happy and ended up buying 6 mini cacti in the little white pots. And I have finally found a home for all of them in my bedroom so I wanted to share some photos with you. I absolutely love how they look and I was definitely missing some green in my bedroom. 

The first two cacti are placed on my shelves to add a bit of colour. I think that they look so pretty alongside all of the jewellery and the nail polish. And just in case you were wondering or it was bugging you the top cactus is wonky. A lot of the soil was missing from that one so it is a little bit sad at the moment and I have no idea how to fix it!

I used to have all my makeup on this window sill but realised that it probably wasn't a very clever idea to keep it there in the sun. So now I have moved all of my makeup to the shelf above my desk which gave me the perfect space for these three cacti. I love how minimal and chic this looks with all of the white on white. 

And finally I saved my favourite cactus (yes, I'm sad!) for right by my bed! I needed some colour here as well and think it helps to tie everything together. 

I am really loving minimal and bohemian styles not only for fashion but also for decor. They sound like two completely contracting trends, bohemian style is far from minimal. But I like to keep some aspects minimal, particularly the colour palette of my bedroom very neural with lots of white and then bring a slight bohemian touch to other things, such as subtle intricate prints and different textures. Not sure if that really makes much sense but it does in my head! 

Hope everyone had a good Friday! I finally got my first pay cheque from working at Joules today although I have already spent it on something very exciting which I am sure will be featuring on the blog very soon! xx

Decorating With Cacti

Decorating With Cacti

If you read my blog regularly then you will know that about a week ago I went on what I am pretty sure was my first ever trip to IKEA! You would also know that I went a little cactus happy and ended up buying 6 mini cacti in the little white pots. And I have finally found a home for all of them in my bedroom so I wanted to share some photos with you. I absolutely love how they look and I was definitely missing some green in my bedroom. 

The first two cacti are placed on my shelves to add a bit of colour. I think that they look so pretty alongside all of the jewellery and the nail polish. And just in case you were wondering or it was bugging you the top cactus is wonky. A lot of the soil was missing from that one so it is a little bit sad at the moment and I have no idea how to fix it!

I used to have all my makeup on this window sill but realised that it probably wasn't a very clever idea to keep it there in the sun. So now I have moved all of my makeup to the shelf above my desk which gave me the perfect space for these three cacti. I love how minimal and chic this looks with all of the white on white. 

And finally I saved my favourite cactus (yes, I'm sad!) for right by my bed! I needed some colour here as well and think it helps to tie everything together. 

I am really loving minimal and bohemian styles not only for fashion but also for decor. They sound like two completely contracting trends, bohemian style is far from minimal. But I like to keep some aspects minimal, particularly the colour palette of my bedroom very neural with lots of white and then bring a slight bohemian touch to other things, such as subtle intricate prints and different textures. Not sure if that really makes much sense but it does in my head! 

Hope everyone had a good Friday! I finally got my first pay cheque from working at Joules today although I have already spent it on something very exciting which I am sure will be featuring on the blog very soon! xx

Updated Makeup Storage

Updated Makeup Storage 

A couple of posts ago I showed a quick picture of my newly organised makeup storage in a Today in Pictures post. And a couple of people commented on it so I thought that today I would share with you a detailed post on my makeup storage with some more pictures and how I organiser everything. 

Firstly I just want to say that I am not trying to show of about how much makeup I have, I do realise I have a lot more than is necessary. But everything that is here is bought with my own money (or birthday presents). 

So here you can see how my whole makeup storage looks. I have it on my window sill by my desk so that I can access it easily. And in the other corner I have a round magnifying mirror which I move down to my desk when I do my makeup. I dream that one day I will have a beautiful white dressing table for all of my makeup and beauty bits! But right now this is the best storage solution that I have found. 

As well as my Muji storage I also have this clear makeup storage I think from TK Maxx. I used this to display some of my most used and prettiest makeup. And I love how this looks with the rest of my bedroom. 

For my main storage I have three lots of the wide double Muji drawers. Going from the top to the bottom I have everything in the order that I would put my makeup on. Basically base and face products, to eye products to lips. So now I will just briefly go through each of the drawers starting from the top. 

In the top drawer I store all of my base and face products, as after moisturiser and suncream this is what I reach of first. I have a couple of primers, my liquid and powder foundations, my concealer and a powder. I also keep my eyebrow kit in this draw and that is my next step and I think it fits well here. 

The next draw is a bit of a mismatched one. It was meant to be bronzer, blushers and contour however I also have two larger MUA eyeshadow palettes and my eyelash curlers here and they just fit. 

The next drawer that I have is eyeliners and mascaras however I'm just thinking about it and I always do my eyeshadow first so I should probably swap these two drawers around. From left to right I have my liquid eyeliners, crayons/shadow sticks, pencil eyeliners and then mascaras. 

This is probably my favourite drawer with all of my different eyeshadows, it just looks so pretty! I have my creme eyeshadows on the right and then other eyeshadows grouped together in brands. As you can probably tell I am very into all my natural brown and bronze colours!

The bottom two drawers are both dedicated to lip products. I have lip crayons on the right of the top draw and then the rest vaguely group with brand. But to be honest these move around quite a lot depending on which are my favourites at the time. And this is hardly ever full like this I had to go and find about three all in different handbags and makeup bags!

Finally I store all f my makeup brushes in this pretty candle holder. I just used boiling water to get all of the wax out. And I love how simple and clean this looks with all of the white in my room. 

Hope you liked this post and maybe it gave you some storage ideas. If you have done a blogpost of your own makeup storage then leave the link in the comments below and I'd love to go and have a read. Speak soon xx