No, I don't really know what I'm supposed to say

 

 

Outfit:
Black quilted faux leather jacket: Zara (similar)
Block roll neck jumper: Primark (similar)
Purple floral maxi skirt: ASOS
Glittery pointed pumps: Next (similar)
Gold cameo ring: Vintage
Grey nail polish: Liz Earle Moonlight c/o

I know I only posted about this skirt a few weeks ago but it's far to pretty to just leave hanging in the wardrobe right? I thought this time I'd show off how I wear it a bit more casually. If wearing a massive skirt actually counts as casual.. I wore this out for my birthday day out in London last Friday for my birthday - 26 SAY WHAT?! - for afternoon tea on a routemaster and a cracking breakfast at Caravan. It was the ideal skirt to conceal all that food I managed to scoff.

It's funny that the older I'm getting the younger I'm feeling. Is this just me? I'm not really that fussed about being 26 more the fact that I'm in shock I've reached this age. How on earth has 26 years whizzed past? I'm still as inappropriate and silly as ever and I hope this never changes. No one ever said grown ups had to be sensible. I just need to make sure I have a pair of flats in my bags when I'm wearing heels. Omph my back!

P.S can you seen my nan photobombing? She was getting bored...

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Review: BB Bakery Afternoon Tea Bus Tour

As my birthday treat yesterday, my parents booked me on for Afternoon Tea on the BB Bakery tour bus. Set on a vintage red London Routemaster bus, the travelling bakery sets off from 8 Northumberland Avenue for a 90 minute whistle stop tour of the best sights in London town. You'll be able to gaze in awe at Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Harrods and many more. You get a good selection of French pastries alongside a delicious cupcake and buttery scone. I would have personally preferred a few more sandwiches as I have savoury tooth but I soon scoffed my fair chare of the delicious cakes. The mushroom quiche and chocolate macaroon were my favourites - I'm drooling just thinking about them.

It's certainly not cheap but it's well worth it for a special treat. It's such a novelty way to see the best parts of the city whilst stuffing your face - I'd definitely recommend you jump aboard!

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A few favourites #2

Mary Berry Baking Bible
I was very kindly given this by my sister-in-law for Christmas. I just adore Mary Berry - she's such a babe and whenever I follow her recipes I always have such incredibly tasting cakes. Admittedly I haven't made anything out of this yet as I've just not had time to think since the festive period. But things should calm down soon and I have the cheese straws and Swiss Roll at the top of list of things to bake.

Matalan Pink Initial Scarf
My mum bought my dad his own version of this scarf just before Christmas and kindly treated me too when I expressed an interest. I love things with my initial/name and I kind of feel a little like High School Musical in it. It's very warm and the £10 goes straight to Alder Hey charity. Not only do you look good but you do a good deed at the same time!

Topshop Forest Green Tunic
I've been on the hunt for suitable tops for jeans for what feels like my whole life. Okay slight exaggeration there... But in an era of crop tops, they're like a needle in a haystack. I'm quite fussy and like tops to cover my bum and to be long and flowing.  Thankfully Topshop have come up trumps with this tunic. I love the colour and it skims perfectly past my rather large booty - winner all round! I might have to get it in the oxblood colour too.

No7 Pop and Glow Cream Blush Stick
I bought this with a No7 voucher, used it once and then popped it in my make up drawer and promptly forgot all about it. Fast forward to a day where I was determined to finally get a hold on my mountain of stuff - never did - and I came across it. Since then it's barely left my cheeks. Although the colour looks a touch scary, it's the perfect shade to build to your tastes and has great staying power. I'd love to try other shades in the range.

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Laquer Big Bang
Over the last few months I can seem to get enough of a red lip and this is one of the top contenders that I reach for. It can be a little tricky to apply as it's so easy to be heavy handed with it. A lip liner might help to keep it under control. But it really does pack a punch.

Enrapture Totem Styler 
I asked for this a few birthday's ago when it reached the dizzy heights of the blogger hype. Everyone and their dog seems to have one. Again it had been pushed to one side for a good few months - sense a theme? I need to detox my room. But I picked it up before Christmas and instantly remembered how much I loved it. I adore the fact you can adjust the curl depending on your mood and it really does lasts on my dreaded heavy hair. Perfect!

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Beauty: Winter Skincare Saviours

Winter can be harsh on your skin. The coldness offers no favours to anyone and dry, chapped skin is never attractive so it's important to give it a bit of a helping hand. Here are a few of my winter favourite that deserve round of applause.

Cath Kidston Wild Rose Hand Cream
I always face such a battle during the colder months to help keep my hands in check. They easily become dry and chapped - even cracked to the point the start to bleed. Horrible right? So as a result I'm always carrying a hand cream or two in my handbag. Most of the time they're rubbish but every now and then I come across a gem. This was a gem. I got this for Christmas and cracked it open a few weeks ago. I love the fresh rose smell and a little goes a long way. It feels non greasy and you can feel the effects almost straight away.

Soap and Glory The Righteous Butter
Like I've mentioned many times before, I love a thick and luxurious body cream - none of this lotion for me please. This Soap and Glory beauty fits the bill. It doesn't irritate my skin after I've given my legs a quick shave and stops me from looking a little like a scaly reptile after a few hours post bath. My skin feels really supple and the cream sinks in within 30 seconds. There's nothing worse than you legs slipping all over the place when you pop your trousers on is there?

Soap and Glory Heels Genius
Despite it coming out the tube a radioactive blue colour, this stuff is pretty special. I pop it on before I go to bed and let it soak in overnight within a pair of old socks. Come the morning, my feet are looking a hell of a lot better than they did the night before. If you're on your feet all day or you wear silly shoes like me, this is needed on your bedside table.

Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask
This was a recommendation by Sarah and I'm now on my second bottle. It's such a wonder hydration product and is well worth the £23 price tag. I use it every single night and sometimes in the morning if I feel my skin needs even more TLC. It makes your skin feel so soft and just glides on effortlessly. It's the perfect pick me up for tired and worn out skin.

Simple Blackhead Eliminating Face Scrub
Thanks to the horrible dark nights and short days, I have to admit I can sometimes neglect my face. I just take my make up off with a wipe before sinking down into the pillow to hibernate. As a result my skin starts to rebel and lots of gross blackheads pop up. This product helps to keep them under control and I notice a difference in just a few days. Amazing!

Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm
This lip balm is far from being cheap but it's also one of the best I've used. It's great to pop on before you go to bed for smooth lips in the morning. It's really rich and you can almost feel it working while it's on your lips. It's great for prepping your lips ready for a swipe of lipstick. I'd definitely buy again once it's run out!


What are your winter skincare saviours?

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Seeing spots

Outfit:
Burgundy and black polka dot wiggle dress: ASOS (Similar)
Faux suede block heel court shoes: F&F (similar)
Black oversize faux fur bag: Topshop
Quilted faux leather jacket: Zara (similar)
Ruby and Garnet rings: Vintage

This dress is an old faithful that I can't believe hasn't made an appearance on the old blog yet. It's my absolute favourite style of dress and I'd buy them all up from ASOS if I had the money. It's just so flattering and is the perfect dress to hide any food babies - just as well as I'm wearing this out to go for dinner at my friends birthday at Inamo tonight. I always feel a little bit sassy whenever I pop this beauty on which means it's pretty much the perfect dress right?!

Here are a few of my favourite wiggle dresses available on ASOS at the minute.

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4 Tips For Saving

Saving. The word that nobody likes. There's no two ways about it, saving is bloody hard. Especially when it's a house deposit. But that's a blog post for another day. I don't know about you but I love expensive things - unfortunately I can't afford to blow £800 on a handbag from just one months wages. So until I win the lottery, here are my fool proof tips to help you save and not even realise you're doing it. That Mulberry will be yours in no time!

1. Get a £2 jar.
I cannot sing the praises of a £2 jar highly enough. I was kindly given a ceramic urn for Christmas last year and it said on the tag that a full jar of £2 coins equalled over £1000, Say what? Obviously I got very excited at the thought and began to religiously seek out the coins to fill it up. It's been going over a year now and it's around 3/4 full and I'm going to smash it open soon to treat myself to a brand spanking new MacBook Pro. It become almost like a game as you hunt around for the special coins - I've even asked friends to swap with me as I'm so desperate to fill it up.

2. Empty your purse of change daily.
If you're anything like me, your purse will be brimming with change. At the end of each day I empty everything out of my purse £1 and under into a pot. This is such a great way to help let the pennies build up as you hardly notice it. Just last week I managed to get £16 in change from a few months which is obviously being converted into £2 coins at the bank!

3. Set yourself a weekly budget.
At the end of the month when I get paid again I'm going to withdraw £50 from my account every Monday and that will be my money for the week. I'm hoping it will help me take a serious look at my spending habits and stop any frivolous spending - after all it has to cover all luxuries! My left over wages will be put towards a house deposit and into a holiday fund. 2015 will hopefully be the year I become a saving goddess!

4. Write down everything you buy.
It's so easy to spend money willy nilly - it gets to the end of the month and you wonder yet again how on earth you have just £3.56 left in your bank account. The odd bottle of diet coke, copy of Glamour magazine and a Twix soon add up. If you write every single little thing down in a notebook, you'll soon see where all you cash is going and see what you can cut out.

What are your top tips for saving?

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New in

Snakeskin court shoes: Carvela via TK Maxx (similar)

TK Maxx kill it with their shoe collection every time. It's the first section I go into when I go in the shop. I spotted these gorgeous Carvela snake-effect heels while I was suppose to be doing Christmas shopping. Same old story. I've made a pact to only buy quality shoes as i'm fed up of them falling apart on my feet - Primark may seem a bargain at the time but it's not when you have to buy a new pair the next month. But I can't afford to splash out on expensive shoes that often which is hard when you're a dedicated shoe girl. So when these classic shoes caught my attention in the rack and they were Carvela - a brand I lust over - it was a no brainer. I loved the price of £35 even more. Bargain!

Here are some more gorgeous snakeskin style shoes below.

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You don’t need a plan of what you wanna do

Outfit:
Black ribbed turtle neck body: ASOS
Purple floral maxi skirt: ASOS
Gold heeled black sandals: Boohoo
Black furry oversized clutch: Topshop
Velvet cropped jacket: Topshop (similar)
Boyfriend silver watch: Fossil (similar)

I'd had my beady eye on this beauty of a skirt for months but at £75 I needed a good excuse to blow that kinda cash. As luck would have it the ASOS sale gods were shining down on me and it was popped in the sale just before Christmas. I made it mine immediately! It's just so fancy and I adore the gorgeous length - looks very glamorous don't you think? This was my New Years Eve outfit for a meal at our local Indian restaurant. I'm never too much of a fan of NYE as I think it's overrated so this was perfect. Good food and good friends - what more could you want to ring in the first day of a new year?

Can you believe Christmas has been and gone for another yet? I'm in cheese mourning. Luckily we still have plenty of leftovers. But not so lucky for my waistline.

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5 life goals for 2015

1. Learn a new skill.

Since leaving uni, I've missed learning. I know you learn all the time at work but it's just the same thing. I feel like I need to push myself to do something new and to keep my brain ticking over. This blog is my only hobby apart from spending all my money on ASOS and socialising down the pub. Both things that will need to be cut down on when I start saving for a house. I've got a whole list of things I'm debating which mostly make me sound like an old lady. I want to badger my nan to teach me how to knit, finally figure out how to sew after three years, work out the in and outs of SEO and HTML and take a few lessons in floristry.

2. Invest more time into this blog.

I felt that my blog kinda fell off the radar in 2014 and it didn't really reach it's full potential. This year I really want to improve my content and photography to help give it the shove it needs. I'd like to really pour my heart and soul into my little corner of the internet. It's never going to up there with the big guns but I think it can be pushed a little harder. It's given me so many opportunities so far and I'd like to continue it as it's been a fun four years! I've enjoyed making it more into a lifestyle blog lately and making my posts a little more personal. A massive thanks to everyone who reads it and hopefully you'll all stick around!

3. Learn to budget.

I spend money like nobody's business once I've paid my bills for the month. I actually think I might keep ASOS and Topshop in business. But this year I have to become a bit better. I'm going to withdraw £50 a week and that will have to pay for all my luxuries. Once it's gone, it's gone. I'm hoping it going to help me re-think exactly what I buy and make me appreciate what I have. Wish me luck!

4. See more of the world.

I've well and truly been bitten with the travel bug now and don't really want to spend my money on anything else. I won't be able to go on any big trips like New York this year but I'm going to try my hardest to see a fair bit of Europe - hopefully a trip to America is on the cards in 2016. I've already got a trip booked to Barcelona for a week in August and am hoping to squeeze in Budapest, Newcastle and Amsterdam too. Fingers crossed!

5. Read more books.

As I no longer get the train into work, my reading habits have really slipped. Over the last few months I've hardly ever picked up a book apart from when I have a bath once in a blue moon. I'm going to try and pop my iPad down when I get into bed and squeeze in 30 minutes of reading. It should help my sleeping habits plus it's always enjoyable to lose yourself in a another world eh?

What do you hope to achieve in 2015?

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3 perfumes i'm loving

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Eau De Parfum
This is my all time favourite perfume - I'd bathe in this if I could afford it! It's just such a classic, signature scent. I save this for special occasions as I simply can't afford to use it every day because it's way out of my budget! It's always on my Christmas/ birthday list. It's a scent that always gets a compliment and has great staying power - a little goes a long way. I just adore the gorgeous rose smell as florals are a definite plus for me in a perfume. Definitely one to pick if you fancy a little bit of luxury in your life!

Marc Jacobs Lola
This was a Christmas present from my parents - they did good! I've been a massive Marc Jacobs fan for years with Daisy as my number one. I've also tried Dot and now this. Again this is a floral scent - sense a theme? I love the base notes of vanilla and the hint of grapefruit. The creamy musk keeps it from smelling too sweet. It seems like MJ has done it again!

Soap and Glory Super Tonic Fragrance Orangeasm
I always keep a cheaper everyday perfume on my shelf as I don't have the dollar to buy expensive ones all the time. Money doesn't grow on trees after all! I picked up this in the Boxing Day sales in a gift set alongside a body butter and body wash. It smells gorgeously refreshing and has a subtle hint of mint. It doesn't last too long but the tonic is a good size to pop in your handbag so you can top up throughout the day. It's going to be the perfect scent when the warmer months hit.

What's your favourite scent at the moment? Any recommendations?

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6 things I learnt in 2014

1. Travel is good for the soul.

I've always wanted to see the world and this year I ventured a lot further afield than I have before. I was lucky enough to go to New York, Glastonbury and Bruges alongside various weekends in the UK. New York was absolutely amazing and helped me realise a ten year dream. Next year I'm going to start the dreaded house fund as I dig deep to buy my own house. But I don't want to sacrifice travel so I'm going to have to cut back on a lot of other things. Like they say, travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer so I'm willing to stay in a bit more so I can fulfil my wanderlust. It's worth it.

2. Make more times for friends.

The above photo was taken a few days ago at my friends birthday pub trip that obviously eventually got out of hand, like all trips to the pub with these lot do. I stayed at home during Uni and was stuck with the lads as all the girls more or less moved away. I've got a deep affection for this lot and feel very protective over them - next year marks nine years since we all got to know each other at Sixth Form. Luckily one of the girls moved back home so I'm not outnumbered too much! I didn't really make much time for my friends this year as I let my work take priority and spent a lot more time on my new friendships. That night out on 27th made me realise that making time for your old friends is essential as well as nurturing those new friendships. It's also made me think that it's about time the lads got themselves girlfriends!

3. It's ok to go at your pace.

I spent a part of the year having a bit of a meltdown at the prospect of turning 26 without having much to show for it. But it also made me appreciate my career. I've always been a career girl and was desperate to jump on the ladder and went without a lot to get to where I am today. Hand on my heart, it has all been worth it. Everyone is different and people do things at different times. It is neither right or wrong.

4. Material things don't always make you the happiest.

I've always been a lover of things and am slightly proud of the amount of money I can spend in one shopping trip. But this year I came to the realisation that this isn't the root of all happiness. I know right? Buying that new dress might make you feel good on the day but you can't buy the things that make you happy in life. Memories don't have a price tag. Those evenings you laugh about when you're with your friends, those nights in snuggled in front of the telly with your boyfriend and the days you spend with your nan putting the world to rights are the things that leave you with a big smile on your face.

5. I can do anything I put my mind too.

I had a job title change earlier on in the year and made the switch from pictures to editorial. I'll be honest, I was a wreck for about 3 months constantly doubting my abilities and struggling with the huge change at work. But eventually I began to manage my time better and grew more confident in my abilities when I started to pull things off. I'm still learning but I think I'm - well hope! - improving and it's all thanks to my sheer determination not to be a failure. I haven't quite grasped it all yet but I no longer feel like I'm treading water. I feel like I'm getting somewhere. It just goes to show that hard work does pay off even if it takes six months.

6. It's ok to say no
I always have FOMO and say yes to everything. It can be a blessing and a curse. It means that I've done some amazing things but always that I'm constantly exhausted and feel like I'm running at 100mph all the time. I moved offices this year out to Essex from London and it means my commute time is a lot longer - I don't get home till around 7.30-8pm. I've had to say no to a lot of things as I simply can't muster the energy. But you know what, I actually don't mind. It nice to just come straight home after work and jump in my PJs and paint my nails. Rock and roll!

What did you learn in 2014?

Excuse the grainy photos - they're just a few iPhone snaps of my favourite things I've done this year. It's been a good one 2014!

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