Tuesday 21 August 2012

Highlights of the summer!

It's been an unpredictable summer this year mainly because of the cyclical weather which has had us Brits wondering what to wear most days (tough life isn't it).  With most of the nation swept up by the London 2012 Olympics thankfully people have had better things to talk about than how rubbish the weather has been.  

It's been a busy couple of months for me and so I thought I'd show you the highlights of my summer so far, please bare in mind that my highlights are full of random things I've done, seen and appreciated which for me have been pretty exciting (even if it is the odd homage to celebrity style).  

It's not often I've watched a film which has made me laugh out loud (since watching Bridesmaids actually) but Ted was hilarious.  A must watch for anyone with a stupid and shallow sense of humour.  




I am currently training for a half marathon and could not recommend Mizuno trainers more.  I bought the Wave Rider 15 (shown below) as I was experiencing runners knee and could not recommend them more.  I am running regularly now and the trainers not only look funky they have great cushioning and are ridiculously comfortable.



I've visited the big smoke several times this summer and most recently had a reunion with some friends a month ago.  London is in my top 5 favourite cities in the world (I have many more to explore of course) but I love the buzz, the choice and style of city.  This is a lovely photo taken and stylised by my BFF!!



Okay so fashion had to feature somewhere here and where better to start then with my favourite Dawson's Creek co-star - Joshua Jackson, he looks amazing here with Diane Kruger.  I am not a fan of his and her outfits but here their attire is simple and stylish. 


I have lived close to Birmingham for most of my life and only recently discovered the IKON gallery in the city centre (yes I want to kick myself).  The gallery is set in a beautiful neo- gothic building and showcases different media including photographs, paintings and film, not to mention its awesome bookshop and amazing cafe - will definitely be visiting again.  


I also visited Edinburgh's Fringe Festival last weekend for the first time and was absolutely amazed by how a beautiful, picturesque city can be even more buzzing during this festival.  The city was alive with creativity and thousands of performances to choose from - it's definitely in the calendar as an annual event now.  





xoxo

Thursday 7 June 2012

Best of British

I know most of the UK readers will be enjoying their short working week after the long Jubilee weekend despite the gloomy weather.  I am grateful to chill out a little this evening after a busy weekend in London where I am proud to say I saw a glimpse of the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge aboard the Diamond Jubilee barge.  


In keeping with patriotism I thought it would be fitting to celebrate all things British by giving you my 'Best of British' list especially when over the past decade or so we've seen some great British brands disappear (I still miss Woolworths).  


I know I've mentioned before that one of my favourite stores is All Saints and although I agree with many people that the store is overpriced and their clothes do tend to be on the dark side (in a literal sense) I cannot fault the quality, they wash well and keep their shape and always look timeless.  











People who know me will tell you how obsessed I am with painted nails, I cannot bare to have bare nails so I tend to paint my nails twice a week which also includes a colour change.  I have probably tried and tested over 30 different brands of nail polish from Chanel to Sally Hansen and can honestly say that my favourite brand has to be Barry M.  It's very affordable retailing at just £2.99 and it's a dream to apply, I would highly recommend their 2 in 1 base and top coat as it gives an ultra shiny professional finish.  




Gorgeous selection of shades


I had to include food in my 'best of british' list for obvious reasons really; I love food and I especially love sweet food which is why it would be rude not to include Jaffa Cakes on this list.  I appreciate that there are some amazing British foods out there but for me Jaffa Cakes are pretty special as there's nothing quite like them - is it a cake or is it a biscuit??? (the debate continues).  








Would love to know about your country's best brands and whether there are British brands that you can't live without.  


xoxo


Tuesday 22 May 2012

New Beauty Buys

I realise that it's been a while since my last post and time has flown by so quickly once again.  I'm currently on vacation across the pond and aside from reality TV overload, great weather and the odd biblical thunderstorm I am thoroughly enjoying taking time out.  


I have made some great beauty discoveries recently, some of which I am yet to try and others which are tried and tested recommendations, take a look below:


Too Faced Peach Leopard Bronzer £22
I bought this about a year ago and until recently I hadn't used it, it's one of my highly recommended products whilst on holiday, it's natural, light and the perfect substitute for blusher in warmer climes.  

Sally Hanson Nail Wraps $10 from Walgreens Unfortunately these aren't availably in the UK yet and I haven't tried them but most blogs say they're long lasting, easy to apply and come off easily with nail polish remover. 


This is the pattern I went for - I love how each nail is different, shall keep you posted on how these worked out. 
17 Magnetic Nail Polish £5.99 from Boots
Keeping with the nail theme I had to include magnetic nail polish because even after you get over the initial novelty factor of the magnetic effect you can't help staring at your nails for days afterwards.  The colours are all metallic for obvious reasons but I particularly liked the blue in this collection.
Kiehl's Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil, £26.50 125ml.
 I have been a fan of Kiehl's for years now, it seems to be the only thing that's delicate enough to suit my skin whilst doing exactly what it says on the bottle.  This product is multipurpose and can be used on skin and hair - the oil isn't too heavy and 1 bottle should last about 6 months.



I'd love to hear about your beauty essentials and won't leave it so long til my next post.  


xoxo



Friday 2 March 2012

It's March already!!



I know it's been a while since my last post but time seems to be flying by too quickly and i'm in disbelief that it's the 1st of March already.  I've past a couple of milestones recently, one of them being that I have now been self employed for over a year, this also means that my blog is also a year old too (woohoo).  Having successfully accomplished a year being my own boss I think one of the biggest lessons I've learnt is to always thrive to do better and to set goals which you feel maybe unrealistic, it's the best way to fuel ambition and has surprising results.  


I'm currently reading (and I use the term 'reading' loosely as it's more like a journal of captions) 'Whatever you think, think the opposite' by Paul Arden.  Arden used to be the Creative Director at Saatchi and Saatchi and writes about advertising and motivation, yes it's totally down my street, and one of the reasons I love reading his books is because you always learn something new and end up challenging yourself in one way or another.  Most of the content is based on factual findings and is by no means patronising or cheesy as most 'self help' books tend to be.


Highly recommended read for anyone looking for inspiration




Keeping on the theme of challenging oneself, I have recently signed up for an 8 mile fun run in June.  Admittedly I didn't commit myself to a half marathon as initially planned but 8 miles seems challenging enough at the moment.  It's something I've been thinking about doing for a while and although I would describe myself as relatively fit I am really enjoying focussing my training for this goal, no doubt I shall keep you all updated with how my training is coming along.  If you've undertaken any challenged recently I'd love to hear about them.


On a more lighter note I wanted to mention how disappointed I have been on recent shopping trips, although I am yet again appreciating the pastel and block colours for spring/summer, I haven't found much inspiration.  I do, however, have a few key pieces for this spring  which I have been eyeing up though, take a look:


All Saints Hardy Leather Jacket £350 - Having just recently got into wearing leather jackets I found this gem of a jacket and loved how rugged and fitted it was, the colour is spot on for Spring too although it is a little pricey.  
 

Topshop Ditsy Print crop Vest £26 - I love the colour blocking and floral mix on this vest, it's feminine and perfect to welcome sunnier weather. 

Jack Wills Hollingworth Chino's £69 - Although these are quite pricey it's hard to find chino's with a vibrant yet versatile colour which can be paired with most things whether it be a shirt, vest or printed tee.  I'm also loving the preppy-ness of this look.

Kurt Geiger Laura £150 - For someone who only wears converse for travelling and is little sceptical of pulling off plimsoles,  I love how smart and casual these shoes are, they're comfortable yet stylish and the perfect colour to go with most things. 




xoxo