January Favourites & Collective Haul

Hi everyone! Here are this weeks videos - my January favourites (filmed before I dyed my hair back to  a natural colour) and a collective fashion & beauty haul from boohoo, misspap, ASOS, TK Maxx, H&M, M&S, MAC, NYX and Primark!

I hope you enjoy the videos!

Have a great week! x

Khaki waterfall

Miss Selfridge Cardigan 

Brandy Melville dress/top

M&S leggings 

River Island boots

H&M bag 

Old things and new things! The top/dress I got back in the summer from Brandy Melville, and my leggings are my staple M&S ones, my boots I've had since the Autumn and I love them - I got mine in the wider fit but they've all sold out now so I've linked the regular ones above.

My cardigan is new from the Miss Selfridge sale and I showed it in my previous haul video - it's quite thin so is good for layering, and will be nice as the weather gets warmer in Spring. The bag is also new and was super affordable from H&M. I've been looking for a little bag for a while, and seeing as I'm trying to save up for my holiday I bought this one as it was only £14.99 and was just what I wanted. 

Khaki Bomber

Boohoo jacket 

Miss Selfridge top

Miss Selfridge trousers

Miss Pap trainers 

I really love this khaki bomber jacket I got from boohoo! It's great quality and was only £20 and is just like others I've seen which are more than double the price! It also comes in burgundy, black and navy and is really comfortable. It also looks almost identical to one that Kim Kardashian has! (this is not sponsored btw - I just really love it!) I paired it with a simple outfit featuring some of my Miss Selfridge sale purchases - I love these trousers as they're both flattering and comfortable! 

I'm also wearing my new trainers from MissPap which are amazing dupes for the Yeezy trainers and only £20 (and if you're a student like me you get 15% off!). 

Also - obviously I have new hair! I got sick of the green tones in it and just wanted to go back to my natural colour, which is more or less what it is now! 

They have some really great pieces on boohoo and MissPap at the moment and everything is so affordable - I do love a bargain - and it's also helping with my saving up for my holiday in the summer  as I've spent way less money!

Wooly cardigan.

Zara Cardigan 

Miss Selfridge top

Miss Selfridge trousers

Miss Selfridge boots 

This outfit is all sale purchases! I picked up this super cosy cardigan from Zara last week in Manchester, and it's the only thing I've bought from Zara this season which is weird for me as I usually get a few things from there! Anyway, it was only £19.99 and I loved the cream wooly collar as it's super soft! My trousers are from Miss Selfridge and are kind of like smart leggings. They're really flattering and comfortable and fast becoming a wardrobe staple for me. I paired them with a simple grey t-shirt (also a sale purchase) and some flat ankle boots (these were only £10 in the sale, but have sadly sold out online now but you might be able to find them in store, if not I also have these ones that are very similar ). If you want to see what else I picked up from the Miss Selfridge sale - I posted a haul video last week! 

What's in my Bag? Givenchy Nightingale Medium

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great weekend! Here's a mini handbag review and a look what's inside my Givenchy Nightingale bag! I hope you enjoy the video! x

January Birchbox.

January Birchbox 

This month's Birchbox is a collaboration with Pinterest and came with lots of goodies! I especially like the illustrated postcards and handbag mirror.

Cowshed is one of my favourite brands, so I'm always happy to see them in Birchbox, which is where I first discovered their products. This month I got the blissful body lotion, which smells amazing (as with all cowshed products) and I can't wait to try it out!

I also received a sample of the Benefit they're real primer which is also exciting as I've never used a mascara primer before, and I like the actual they're real mascara. 

Also in the box is a shampoo and conditioner sample from PARLOR by Jeff Chastain and is the moisturising and repairing formula. I'm tempted to save these for my holiday in the summer, but I might try them before as I can always buy some minis! 

I also received the Absolution cleansing water which I think is a Bidoerma-style product, which I probably will save for my holiday to use on the plane, as I already have a bioderma open. I like cleansing waters as they're much kinder than wipes. I don't use a water everyday as I like oil cleansers to remove my makeup, but I love them for freshening up and taking off lighter makeup. 

Last but not least I got the Jelly pong pong complexion awakener pencil, which is a nude eyeliner that can be used to highlight. I don't actually own any nude liners so I'm excited to try this out. I actually didn't originally receive this product as it was missing from my box, but I emailed Birchbox and they sent me one out straight away! 

As usual, I'm really happy with my Birchbox and I'd definitely recommend it if you like trying out new beauty products!

Miss Selfridge & Primark Haul

Hi everyone - hope you've all had a great week! Here is yesterday's video - another sale haul! Hope you enjoy! x

New Year, New You with Boohoo!

January is the time when most of us go on some sort of health kick, whether that be a diet, exercise routine, eating better, or a combination of both. Boohoo have just launched their new FIT range which is an amazing collection of fun, affordable and stylish workout wear to make that health kick a little bit easier!  Today I'm sharing my health & fitness tips, and also showing you how to style the Victoria marble print asymmetric top* from the Boohoo plus FIT range (that's right, they've made items in all sizes from 4-24!)

I absolutely love this top - the colour is right up my street, and I love that the sleeves cover my upper arms as that's the part of my body that I absolutely hate! The asymmetric design makes it more interesting than a basic t-shirt, and also means you can wear it to work out or to go out, as I've shown by styling it in two ways. I'm wearing a size 16 and would say it fits true to size. 

Worn throughout - Boohoo top*, Miss Selfridge Leggings 

Outfit 1 - Vans slip on trainers, weights (from Argos) 

Outfit 2 - All Saints gilet, Miss Selfridge boots 

Outfit 1 is a sportswear outfit. I wouldn't wear these trousers/leggings to actually work out in - but this is more of a sporty outfit than workout wear (as I also wouldn't wear any makeup or my hair down!) and I like to keep my blog looking more polished! I've added my gold Vans (which were a TK Maxx bargain) to add a pop of shine, but for actual working out, I'd wear something like these leggings and these trainers (both from the new Boohoo fit range). It's important to work out in specifically designed clothes as they are more stretchy and won't be restricting. 

Outfit 2 is a more everyday fashion look, and is something I'd wear day to day (currently I'd need to add a jumper/coat/scarf!). I love that because the top is fashionable, it's easy to style it as a regular top and you'd never know it was fitness wear!  It also means that if you're going somewhere before or after the gym, it's easy to quickly take your outfit from gym wear to stylish. 

My health & fitness tips 

A few years ago, I was a miserable size 24 and was very ill. My weight was part of an unknown illness, and it's taken me a while to feel happy with the way I look. I'm still on my journey but here's how I went from a size 24 to a 14/16 and lost over 6 stone: 

1. I count every calorie, and aim to eat between 1500-1800 per day, with occasional treat days where I eat what I like. 

2. I aim to eat 70% healthy foods and 30% junk/treats/more unhealthy items. I'm vegetarian, so I'm a big fan of Deliciously Ella's recipes, and Millie Mackintosh's book has some recipes that are veggie (and also some meat ones if you're not!)

3. I exercise regularly. I hated PE at school, and it really made me hate exercise due to self confidence  issues. I also have learning difficulties which means I could never catch a ball and was always useless at sports. I've found the best way to exercise is at home as I can fit it in to my busy lifestyle as and when. I like to do a combination of yoga, pilates and weights for my arms, and usually use Youtube workout videos. At times I do it everyday (usually when I'm on holiday from work) but some weeks I only manage to do it twice or 3 times. I like going to the gym, and want to go back soon, but I struggle fitting it in as I'm so busy. My main tip for exercise is to find something you like that works for you, and to not beat yourself up if you struggle to fit it in, just do as much as you can, when you can. 

4. Exercise works best if you eat healthy. That means eating protein (something I personally struggle with), fruits & vegetables, good fats (like avocado) and less of the unhealthy and junk foods. 

5. Don't make life difficult for yourself. I always tell people I eat what I want, which is true. I know the consequences if I eat pizza for example, but restricting everything all of the time would just make me miserable. I've been loosing weight for around 3 years, and this is what works for me. I know that if I loose weight slowly it will stay off, and I can still enjoy treats. 

6. Keep going. It's hard to stay motivated when you don't see instant results, but over time you can really tell. I remember the days when all I could wear was an oversized t-shirt and leggings and wider fitting shoes. I don't miss it, now I'm a fashion blogger who has a much bigger choice of what to wear, more confidence and feels a lot better. And I now wear that oversized t-shirt as a nighty! 

I hope that you liked the outfits, and that this post has given you some ideas/inspiration/tips. It's been a difficult one for me to write, so I hope that some of you have found it helpful! 

Good luck with whatever health kick your embarking on (if you are)! 

Check out the full Boohoo fit range here

*Not a sponsored post. Boohoo sent the top for me to feature in this post for free. 

Fluffy.

Missguided jumper dress

All Saints leather gilet 

Givenchy nightingale bag with Charlotte Simone faux fur pom pom 

M&S leggings

River Island boots

A simple casual & cosy outfit featuring my new favourite accessories and a Missguided jumper dress that I bought a couple of months ago but haven't worn much, it's really warm and cosy but I've found it quite difficult to style as it's oversized it can look a bit shapeless, but I think the leather gilet works quite well with it! I wore this outfit to go shopping the weekend before last. 

Sale Haul | Harvey Nichols, Cheshire Oaks, Space NK & TK Maxx

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great weekend, I've had lots of snow where I live! Todays video is another sales haul and features some online purchases and some other bargains from Outlets and TK Maxx. I filmed this a couple of weeks ago so not everything is still available, but everything that is available is linked below:


Charlotte Simone scarf http://goo.gl/ZdiTQL
Truffle collection boots http://goo.gl/tqLgRu
(very similar style with more sizes available http://tidd.ly/c20e79ab)
W7 gel nails http://goo.gl/Lo9eRu
REN gift set http://bit.ly/1RMECLA
By Terry eye pencil http://bit.ly/1UXdQOh
Wax lyrical candles http://www.wax-lyrical.com
Lee Stafford hair growth treatment http://tidd.ly/d383e1c4

Hope you all have a great week! 

Velour popsicle

Missguided Velour sweatshirt

Charlotte Simone faux fur popsicle scarf 

Givenchy medium nightingale bag 

Charlotte simone faux fur pom pom 

Topshop joni jeans 

Truffle collection boots (very similar here or Topshop version here )

I'm loving my Charlotte Simone faux fur things at the moment, and especially when paired with this gorgeous velour sweatshirt from Missguided, which is so soft and feel so luxurious. I'm also wearing some new boots that I picked up from TK Maxx. 

2015 Favourites

My favourite products of 2015! Mainly beauty favourites, with a couple of fashion favourites at the end! I hope you enjoy the video and please let me know what your favourites of 2015 are! Have a lovely weekend!

Rottweiler

Givenchy Rottweiler clutch 

Charlotte Simone candy cane faux fur scarf

Primark jumper (old) 

Topshop joni jeans

Jack Wills boots 

All the accessories in this outfit are recent sale buys, paired with a simple all black outfit. I love my Charlotte Simone faux fur scarves and this Givenchy clutch - I'm so glad I managed to get one of these with the leather Givenchy piece at the top as they've now changed the style! 

Monochrome layers.

H&M Jumper

All Saints Leather Gilet 

Topshop joni jeans

Primark scarf

River Island boots

Givenchy bag 

Charlotte Simone faux fur pom pom 

A casual layered outfit that I wore last weekend to run a few errands - I'm really loving my All Saints leather gilet & my Givenchy nightingale bag at the moment! 

Sales Haul | Lush, H&M, River Island, Boots, Office & more

I hope you've all had a lovely weekend! I've got another sales haul video for you today from a few different places - I hope you enjoy it! x

December 2015 Favourites

Here are my December favourites! All of my beauty and fashion favourites from December - 2015 favourites will be up next week - hope you're all having a great weekend!

Silver hair.

After having silver hair for around 3 weeks now, I thought I'd do a post explaining the process and how it's lasted etc, as I've had a few questions about it on social media. 

I went silver on the 18th December, and I had it done at a local salon. My hair was a very brassy blonde before, and my hairdresser had to put extra toner & dye mixture onto my hair as it wasn't covering evenly as my hair had a lot of bleach in it. Because of this, my hair came out a lot darker than I originally wanted, but I still really loved it. (The second picture and the picture of just my lips and hair is after I'd had it done, before I'd washed it myself)

My hairdresser expected the blue tones to fade quickly, but for some reason on my hair, they didn't. My hair started to look less gray and more blue. I work at a school, so have been washing my hair a lot to try and get rid of the blue tones as it looked completely blue in some lights. I personally liked the colour, but wouldn't be allowed it at work. 

The first picture is taken as my hair is now (after 3 weeks). As you can see, the majority is still grey, but I have some greenish blue tones that just don't seem to budge! I think the green tones are because of how brassy my hair originally was (if you mix yellow and blue it makes green). 

I'm currently using no heat on my hair, and loads of conditioning products to try and get my hair back in good condition. I was hoping that the silver would fade and leave me with an ash blonde that I could easily grow out into an ombre with my natural colour. At the moment, my hair is in a lot better condition, and is growing again, but I think it will probably keep fading to a blueish green. I'm hoping to not have to dye it again as I'm trying to get my hair back to my natural colour, and in better condition. 

At the moment, I'm still happy with my hair despite the blue/green tones. I think I hated the yellow and orange so much before that I'm just glad it's not that colour! 

Would I recommend going silver/gray? Yes! I really liked mine, I'm not sure it's something I'll keep for a long time, but I really do love it! I think it's a good idea to go to a salon though, as there's a lot of different shades, and your hairdresser can pick one that will work for your hair and skin tone. Just keep in mind that if your hair doesn't take the dye well (like mine didn't) you may end up having to go darker, which may fade to blue/green like mine did. 

Does it damage your hair? Not a lot. I already had very damaged bleached hair (I've had it bleached on and off for years) and my dye was conditioning and mixed with a very low level peroxide. On my roots (which are naturally blonde) the dye took really well and gave me the colour that I wanted all over, it's the bleached parts which have gone a blue/green. I'd recommend going to the salon and asking professional advice. If you're naturally blonde, I wouldn't bleach your hair first (unless it's already bleached), but if you're darker, it'll probably be necessary. 

Will I suit it? Silver is a very cool colour. If you suit cool toned hair colours (ash blonde for example) then you'll probably suit it. If you suit more warm tones (red, brown, ginger) then you probably won't suit it. I've used directions conditioning dye in silver before (semi permanent) which washes out completely, which you could use first before getting it done properly to see if you like the colour. 

How much did it cost? Mine cost £40, but hairdressers vary significantly in price depending where you go. I used to go to Toni & Guy for example, which is around £100 for colours. I luckily found a local hairdresser who is really good and a lot cheaper. 

How to care for it? My hairdresser recommended I use a lot of conditioning masks and no heat (partly because my hair was already damaged) which I have been doing. I'd also recommend using purple shampoo to maintain ash tones, and using lots of hair oils and leave in conditioner. If you struggle to use no heat there's loads of lovely hair tutorials on youtube (Alex centomo has a lot) without using heat. I personally wash my hair at night, sleep with it wet, and usually leave it natural the first day, then experiment with buns, braids and ponytails. 

How to wash it out? Head and shoulders shampoo and/or Bleach london washing out liquid. Always follow with a really strong conditioner such as Bleach reincarnation mask. 

I hope this post answers some of your questions about my hair, and that hopefully you found it helpful if you're considering silver hair yourself! 

Hello 2016.

Hello 2016.

2015 was a year of many ups and downs for me, but on the whole was a great year. I completed (and graduated from) my PGCE, started my first teaching job, attended some amazing blogger events, made new friends and stayed in touch with old friends, saw Florence & The Machine live (which was one of the best experiences ever!), started eating healthier, and became more confident and happier.

I don't have any traditional New Years resolutions this year but I do have some things that I'd like to do this year: 

1. Eat healthier

I eat pretty healthy anyway, but over Christmas have eaten a bit too much chocolate and not enough fruit & veg. I was eating at my healthiest around May 2015, and I want to get back to that 80% plant based/very healthy diet and 20% treats/junk food. I just think that worked the best for me. I also want to continue losing weight (I've lost around 6 stone up to now) and I also think eating healthier helps your skin, nails & hair too. 

2. Do More things 

I find that I don't really do many 'exciting' things, so I'm already planning a trip to visit a friend abroad in the Summer, and have decided to make things happen myself. Basically, if I want to do something, I'm just going to do it rather than waiting for anyone else. I've decided to be a bit more selfish in that way, as looking back on 2015, I spent far too long waiting for people to make plans and doing what others wanted, and I feel that I missed out on things. 

3. Take more time to relax 

I'm a bit of a workaholic, and am often either working at my job, doing my masters work, or working on my blog and youtube channel. I find it difficult to relax when I have such a long to do list, but I'm going to make an extra effort this year. I also plan on getting back into Yoga (I used to do it everyday, but found it hard to fit in when I started my new job) and watching films, tv and reading. 

4. Blogging 

I plan on sticking to my 2 videos and 3 blog posts a week as I think that worked pretty well last year. I also want to continue improving my content and making my blog & videos as professional as I can. I'm also hoping to grow my blog some more in 2016, and hopefully you'll stick with me too. 

5. Stress less

I'm also going to try and stress less in 2016. I get stressed easily, and although I think I do quite well at managing it, I'm going to try and not worry about the small things as much as I have done in the past. 

So there we have it, my New Year's resolutions (if you can really call it that). Just my plans and ideas for the new year ahead. 

I hope you all have a brilliant 2016, and do let me know what your resolutions and plans are too! x

Fur & Flowers

Charlotte Simone scarf

See by Chloe polo neck 

All Saints leather gilet 

Topshop joni jeans 

Givenchy Nightingale medium bag 

Charlotte Simone pom pom 

Miss Selfridge boots 

Apart from my jeans and bag charm, this outfit is all sale purchases! The scarf and pom pom are both faux fur from Charlotte Simone and I absolutely love them as they're so soft and warm. My top was a bargain from TK Maxx and was just £8, and my Gilet was from the All Saints outlet - I'd had my eye on it for a while, and it went down to £100 from £358 so I finally got it! 

My bag is my new Givenchy Nightingale - another beautiful sale purchase which I bought on boxing day, and my boots are from Miss Selfridge - they were on sale in store but not online. 

I really like this outfit and I love how the fur scarf instantly adds a bit of glamour. 

I love a good sale and have already started uploading my sale haul videos to my Youtube channel if you're interested to see what else I've bought! 

Selfridges Sale Haul

Today's video is my Selfridges Sale haul - and the first of my sale haul videos! I found some amazing things in the sales this year, and I'm so excited to share them with you. This haul is mainly designer/ investment pieces, but I've got some more high street hauls coming soon!

I hope you enjoy the video! x

Dinner Outfit.

Missguided coat 

Whistles dress (old) 

River Island OTK boots 

Givenchy Rottweiler clutch 

Topshop necklace

Apologies for the phone photos, but this was an outfit I wore out to dinner last week. I went for a lovely Chinese, and wore this outfit. My dress was from whistles ages ago (I've blogged about it before), and my coat is from Missguided - this coat instantly dresses up any outfit. I added my over the knee boots from River Island as they're comfortable, practical and aren't too dressed up. Finally I added one of my sale buys - this gorgeous Givenchy Rottweiler clutch bag (I have a Selfridges sale haul going up on my Youtube channel tomorrow).