Thursday 30 January 2014

Pin-spiration.

As mentioned in my previous post, I have recently become obsessed with Pinterest and I can't believe it's taken until now for me to realise how bloody good it is.
I know I know, it's been around for 'aaages' and I'm most 100% definitely not the first person to rave about it but it's definitely overtaken Instagram and Twitter as my favourite pass time during my morning commute. 
(I would admit that it's also taken over my time spent flicking through Tinder but then that would mean I have to confess to having Tinder in the first place...)

Just incase, like me, you're a bit behind on the prospect of 'pinning' photos to your online boards I've done a bit of a collation of my latest pins...











Monday 27 January 2014

Beauty Basics.


As I've mentioned previously, I'm no expert on all things beauty related. 
I'd say I'm pretty 'safe' in what I use and rarely stray away from my daily routine. 
That being said, there's certain products that I can't live without so I  thought I'd do a quick roundup of my favourite beauty saviors.

1. Desire by Dolce & Gabbana
I'm a massive fan of Chanel - Chance, however, after receiving Desire for Christmas I can't get enough of it.
I'm not a big fan of anything too rich but this perfume is the perfect mix.

2. Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Hand Recovery
I don't know if its just me, but the cold weather leaves my hands looking like a wrinkly old lady's!
Hand cream is my saving grace and La Source Hand Recovery has become my new favourite.
Not too greasy, this cream is the ideal desk top companion.

3. St. Tropez Dark Bronzing Mousse
Since the age of about 14 I've been a fake tan addict. From bright orange hands, to streaky legs, I've been through it all.
With St. Tropez' Mousse I think I've finally found my dream fake tan. If you put it on before bed I can guarantee that you'll wake up with a golden glow. It contains instant tan too so there's no chance of you missing a spot.

4. Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express Mascara
As well as fake tan, I've also tried and tested my fair share of mascaras.
With naturally quite fair eyelashes I've always wanted them to be longer, darker and more curled. This mascara is one of the best I've used to date, it's extra black but manages to leave eyelashes fully covered without clumping.

5. Bumble & Bumble Thickening Hairspray
This stuff is amazing.
I'm lucky enough to have hair that doesn't really need hairspray. When I curl my hair it tends to stay in without any added products, however, since getting a tester of Bumble & Bumble's hairpspray with Elle magazine I can't get enough of it.

6. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
I've tried Nars, I've tried Clinique but I seem to always come back to my trusty Rimmel.
Their 25hour foundation was my first beauty buy as a teenager and, though it served me well, I find their Wake Me up Foundation much lighter in texture. It may not be the most pricey, nor the go-to product of make-up artists but as far as I'm concerned it does a pretty good job.


7. Mac Lipstick
I will openly admit that I was probably the last person to jump on the Mac bandwagon, however, I finally bought my first Mac lipstick over the summer and it hasn't been my last. Whilst at uni my housemate was Mac's biggest fan, from concealer to foundation she regularly managed to save up enough empty containers to trade in to their 'Back to MAC' programme. Six empties earn you one lipstick and she had an impressive collection. 
Now a convert, their lipstick has undeniable staying-power and comes in an extensive range of colours...



Sunday 26 January 2014

January

In the past 2 weeks I've turned 22, booked a trip to Vietnam and have been sucked in to the world of Pinterest.
All in all I'd say it's been a pretty good January so far.

Last weekend we were host to crowd of friends, all of whom had made the trip to Manchester to help my housemate and I celebrate our January birthdays. 
I think I can vouch for everyone when I say the night was a success - from our pre-drinks party to the terrible dancing in town, the only low point was the result our hangovers the following morning...
One of our friends even turned up armed with a caterpillar cake (no birthday is complete without one).

All I can say is that I'm pretty sure the January blues are a myth, as far as I'm concerned 2014 has got off to a pretty good start and with just one week left until we move into February I thought I'd do a little photo round-up reflecting on the most 'depressing' month of the year...






Monday 20 January 2014

Friday 17 January 2014

Thursday 16 January 2014

ASOS

I am officially 22!
At my work we're lucky enough to have our Birthday's off so I'm currently lying in bed with a cup of tea.
Before I head into Manchester for a day of shopping I thought I'd do a quick post on Saturday's Swap Shop at ASOS HQ (mentioned below).

Everytime I go to an Access All ASOS event I think I fall more in love with their offices - their loos even have an emergency beauty box in for those bad hair days.
Saturday was all about taking some of your pre-loved clothes and swapping them with someone elses. 
Just to make picking what to swap for even harder, the team at ASOS contributed a selection of items from their collections onto the Swap Shop rails.

There was one rule: no Insiders were allowed to recreate the wedding shop scene from Friends.

We ate: Breakfast was a mix of mini pastries and jam jars filled with yoghurt and granola, followed by a lunch of wraps, mozarella and cherry tomato skewers, mini tarts and satay chicken sticks.

We drank: Elderflower fizz, mint infused water and white wine.

We listened to: We were fortunate enough to have three talks throughout the day - from ASOS' Katie Oldham, Amy He who runs Mod Dolly and House of Jam's Steve. I left feeling like a specialist on all things ASOS Market Place related.

We swapped: My inner denim addict was out in full force and I was lucky enough to come home with a pair of ASOS dungarees (see them here), a new denim shirt and a pair of geek chic glasses.

Another great day, thanks ASOS!
X.













Monday 13 January 2014

Swap Shop

As I've probably mentioned on more than one occasion, a few months ago I was accepted to be an Access All ASOS Insider (apply here). 
If you've been thinking of applying but haven't quite had the time then all I'm going to say is DO IT. I've been to two of their events so far and they've both been ridiculously good. 

Their first event of 2014 took place on Saturday, so without question I hopped onto the train down to London for their 'Swap Shop'. 
We basically had to take 1-3 items of our pre-loved clothing ready to swap with other insiders - I'm going to do a bit more of a detailed post on the day later in the week but couldn't resist sharing my swaps!
I was lucky enough to get my hands on this amazing pair of ASOS dungarees and was even happier when I got home to find they were the perfect fit.
You can find them here, I promise it'll be a purchase you won't regret.