FLYING SAUCER

Work Outfits Video Collection 3

Hi all! I uploaded a collection of outfit videos yesterday that you might like to take a look at! Videos can be a bit hit and miss as I always watch them back and there's a little thing wrong like a bit of hair sticking up or your underwear drawer wide open in the background, haha both frequently happen to me! 

I'm making some more for this week and did one while the handy man was fixing the lock on my door this morning at 8.30am! This is also the said handy man that came into my room when I first moved in while I was just chilling in my bra, as you do, and walked right over to me without even noticing! That embarrassment seems to have disappeared though as now I have a lock, yay.

I just had my nails infilled and painted a fluro coral but I'm craving more of a pink. The salon didn't have a nice pink so I'm toying with repainting them myself. They will never look as perfect as a salon painting though! Maybe I'll be extra careful. I still haven't done much nail art recently as I still don't want my boss to think I'm a bit loony! I am also aching all over from the gym class yesterday and can't quite walk up stairs! Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of stairs everywhere.

Aussie Hair Care Giveaway WINNERS!!

Hello! My short and sweet Aussie Giveaway is now over and the winners have been picked! I will be emailing and tweeting you for your addresses and chosen products for your Summer Party packs, yay! Thank you to everyone who entered, I was worried no one would!

In the end I could not pick out seven winners as there was so many funny and delightful reasons why you guys are celebrating right now! So I did pick 6 at random, and one special winner is Sarah of Sweet Potato Sarah because without her internet suggestion (I've been using BT Openzone for the past week!), I would not have been able to run this giveaway or blog at all for ages, or would have spent £££ on a dongle or at internet cafes! Yay! Here are the winners and a snap shot of their excuses to party:

Sarah: I'm celebrating having a second interview for a potential job this week! I've been looking for months and I'm so happy to finally have a chance to earn some cash :D

Lauren: I'm celebrating my little sister getting engaged! 

Rebecca: Well, in roughly a month's time I'll be celebrating re-freshers back at uni - does that count?? For now, it's just being at home, and trying to get free drinks in every bar in my home town by bullying my friends into doing gigs, aha!

Seonaid: I'm celebrating my 21st birthday this Sunday! I'm so excited - for some reason I feel like this is the age when I will officially be 'a grown up'. Haha! 

Helen F: I'm celebrating the fact that it's 3 weeks today until my trip to Barcelona :D 

Shannon: I'm celebrating my first ever trip to Paris! I am an Aussie, and I've been living in London for the past 9 months but I still haven't made it to Paris yet. So this weekend I'm biting the bullet and taking myself off to the city of lights all by myself. Sooo excited! 

Lucy D: This week I am celebrating leaving my incredibly boring and unfulfilling day job and going off to be ultra broke pursuing my dream of becoming a radio producer. Friday is my last day, and I can't wait to not be stuck behind a desk any more.

Congratulations ladies! I wish there was a prize for everyone xx

Aussie Hair Care Giveaway!

Hi all! I have a very special and out of the ordinary post today as I have a giveaway! Stop if you think 'ah I never win anything' because times are changing as I have seven prizes oooo.

If you read lots of blogs, you may see people going off to Aussie Hair Care parties and adventures and I always though, I wish I was invited! Well it seems you can actually apply to be an 'Angel' and I did just in time for this theme - Any excuse to party! As it's 110 years since Australia became a country (literally any excuse to party right!), they are having a huge bonanza in London this October and are celebrating with limited edition packaging covered in fireworks. I received a Summer Party pack after much hunting and waiting for the postman, and seven of you will receive a Summer Party Pack too!

They will include an Aussie product of your choice in the limited edition packaging, from the Take the Heat, Miracle Moist and Luscious Long collections. Then one winner across all the Aussie blog giveaways will win TEN tickets for them and their mates to a huge Aussie party in October in London with all the Aussie Angel bloggers! If you are a blogger, this will be an event not to be missed.

So to win one of seven Aussie-versary Summer Party Pack prizes and be in with the chance of attending the big party, just comment here telling me something you are celebrating! This giveaway is quite well timed as I am going to celebrate loads on the weekend as my friend is visiting who just actually spent months away in Australia, yay! So what do you have to celebrate? It can be big or small; maybe you've over the moon with your A Level results, maybe you got a bargain in the reduced supermarket section, maybe you got a text from that guy! Everything counts! I will draw out of a hat I think as I am terrible at making a decision, let alone seven.

I don't usually run giveaways as this blog is more like a diary and I don't really 'push' it out there, it's just happy in its own little internet corner! However Aussie do incredible things for their campaigns, they're really impressive and I haven't used their products in years; I did when I used to straighten my hair as a fresher four years ago! That smell of the Frizz 3 Minute Miracle haunts me from then but I am trying out the Take the Heat products now, yum.

So what are you celebrating right now? Check out the Aussie collections to name your favourite product in your comment too and don't forget to leave your email address or Twitter so I can contact you if you win! You only have 24hrs so this giveaway will end at 10pm on Tuesday 23rd August! I'm sorry, this is only open to UK mainland residents, Aussie's rules! Good luck! 

P.S. OMG on the Aussie site I just spotted they have a weather forecast you can download which warns you of frizzy hair weather! I check the weather every day without fail to dictate my outfits and apparently tomorrow has 46% humidity so I'd better overload on serum tonight! I just washed my hair as I went to the gym and holey moley am I going to hurt tomorrow! I thought their 'legs, bums n tums' would be more of a classic church hall-type class but it was so hardcore and I can barely walk!!

Back to Vintage

I'm feeling fresh and bright today as I didn't actually go out last night! Everyone was quite hungover so we stayed in and watched X Factor (where I was tweeting from the Motel Twitter!). In the day I helped my new shopping buddy housemate choose some jeans to go with his new suuuper expensive jacket (the one that brings all the Dirty Sanchez lot to the house!) and spent £30 in Superdrug to get £10 back in points! Such a good deal! 

As I live so close, I popped in the Motel shop in Bristol, which is still a great novelty to me as I get to check out Motel things in the flesh! And try stuff on! They have loads of vintage stuff too and I spied this bag and couldn't leave without it. I had also gone for posh cocktails with my housemate at about 2pm earlier with no breakfast so swear I was shopping tipsy! 

This bag seemed to be the most perfect bag ever with a tassel and chain and being just the right size to fit a purse, phone, keys and some makeup. I find my going-out bags always end up really dirty after a while so I needed a new one and can wipe this one down. I mentioned in my back-in-time outfit post in the 30 day challenge that I don't really buy vintage anymore but I used to buy tonnes. It's mostly because I'm much better with my money now and used to buy loads of vintage that ended up rubbish. Also I was fed up of smells that you could never get out! But a vintage bag is pretty harmless and easy to use loads, and there's nothing better than a chain strap.

30 Day Clothing and Accessories Challenge Day 28

    28. Something that is your favourite brand

Wow this challenge is nearly over! Not that I completed it in anywhere near only 30 days but I got to about 19 without stopping I think. It's been fun but it's definitely a challenge. I'm not sure what I'll post after now...!

Sometimes I don't have chance to take photos in the morning as usually there's time for just breakfast or an outfit video/picture. As breakfast is made first, it usually wins! But I thought I'd show you how I take photos now that I've got a a really big room. I have a mirror that my Mom got when my bedroom in Birmingham was made-over. It's from Habitat I think and covered in gorgeous fabric. It's balanced on my heater thing so I just put my tripod in front of it so I can see the camera reflection in the mirror to check I'm roughly in the frame. When I make YouTube videos, I have to prop a mirror behind my camera so I can see; really need a flip one! It's really annoying that I can't upload any videos at the moment as I'm on BT Openzone right now but I'll maybe go to a cafe with wifi this weekend.

I almost forgot the question! Here I'm wearing a dress from of course my favourite brand, Motel. The 'favourite store' question is tomorrow but as for brands, I can't not say Motel as I work there! But my wardrobe of their/our stuff is proof enough that they/we make killer dresses that are hot bodycon but aren't made of cheap material that shows all the outlines of your underwear! That is the true test of a good bodycon dress for me. This is the Alexa Dress in a gorgeous lace 3D pattern with a white silk collar but sadly it's not on sale anymore! However it kind of makes me wish I worked somewhere really corporate as it's very 'smart' but feels super hot on! Will look into more pencil dresses. This is my 11th Motel item!

I love walking to work along with everyone else walking to work in the morning and wondering what all these people actually do! Like when you're a student, I've barely seen any young children in weeks! Really looking forward to the weekend as there's a girly housemate night out on the cards for Saturday night, so I'll spent Friday night and Saturday pampering and planning for the week ahead! I'm planning on buying loads of fruit and veg and whizzing it all up with my new hand blender. I made a peach, banana and spinach smoothie today inspired by Laura and it was fabulous! You eat so many great raw things in one go and barely notice. 

30 Day Clothing and Accessories Challenge Day 27

    27. An outfit you are ashamed to say you wore

Today's challenge is a little self demeaning I think! I know we all have fashion horror stories but the way I used to look does haunt me a little so I try not to be mean to myself! At the time I loved fashion and style but now I feel like I know much more about what suits me. I wouldn't go back and change anything but my fresher's year might have been easier if I knew how to blow dry my hair and not straighten it all the time, and knew which killer dresses to buy. Then again, back then bodycon dresses and all sorts of things didn't even exist in fashion!

So I took a trip down memory lane to fondly look at some really old outfits on the blog. I'm not ashamed as each was great at the time! I still think I dress similarly in the way that I always choose something a bit special to me to wear each day, so each outfit has a reason or thought behind it. I definitely wear less no vintage now and dress a bit more grown up!

These outfits were from my first year of university in 2007 in the bathroom I shared with about seven other girls! I used to sneak in quickly as, if someone would have caught me with a camera in the bathroom, they would have thought it was well weird! If any of you remember these outfits, hats off to ya as these are around four years old!

So above, the top left is a Topshop blouse that was about £45 at the time, so REALLY expensive but it was good for interviews, and I loved boyish trousers back then! It was quite new to wear men's tailoring. I actually wore the red dress outfit to a club night at my halls (Owens Park for any Mancunians!). The dress made up part of the comic strip dress below, and I teamed it with a pink polka dot hair bow and mary jane shoes. Very cutesy! Then the American Apparel u-neck dress was literally the first time I considered wearing bodycon. Because I have small boobs, I always thought I fell into the 'boyish' shape category but really I'm kinda pear shaped. This was the start of my bodycon dress obsession and now I wouldn't go out not wearing one. Then on the right is my beloved Zara coat which I got three winters' wear out of and the Luella bag that I bought when my Nan won over fifty grand at bingo! I still have the bag but it is SO HEAVY!! However it is incredible quality, it hasn't aged a day.

I bought this stripy blue H&M skirt with braces in my freshers week; it must have been the first ever thing I bought with my student loan! Back then I made the mistake of buying all cheap things because I was a poor student, when really I would have looked much more put together if I'd hunted out better quality items to buy. Also the shirt is Viktor and Rolf for H&M with a big heart on the front. It will definitely be part of my winter wardrobe this year still! The second left is a super short Topshop tutu skirt that I used to wear with white tights to a club. You wouldn't catch me wearing white tights in a club today - in fact the total opposite, I am always tanned up! However at the time, it was a little bit vintage inspired and cutesy. Hence the next outfit which is basically school girl inspired. The pinafore is vintage from eBay, and knee high socks were very big with fashion bloggers back then as they were quite a new, unheard of accessory! Prada did two-tone ones and they really took off. OK I will admit that I might be considered a bit crazy to wear the dress covered in numbers on the right but it might have been for a themed club night! I did wear this to normal club nights though seriously. I loved vintage style prom dresses back then and made this myself due to my love of numbers and maths from fabric I got off eBay! Remember I nearly did a maths degree. The dress was tongue in cheek though!

Now we're getting to really old pictures with my old hair! My hair was a huge feature then as it was so noticeable and people used to come up to me on the street to talk about it all the time! It got a bit restrictive when I started uni though as it felt like quite a childish hairstyle and I just wanted cool, sleek hair like everyone else! Maybe that is sad or maybe I just grew up a bit? Anyway, on the left is my Zara coat again, which really was lovely. It was £90 in 2006, which I bought with my EMA bonus! If I could find that coat on eBay again, I would buy it! Next is that H&M skirt again but over skinny jeans. I was the first person to wear skinny jeans in my college in 2005, haha literally they didn't exist before then! I wanted some after seeing maybe one girl on the street in a pair and randomly my Mom's boyfriend at the time found a pair in USC for my birthday! I remember on the first day of college people were like, 'Where did you get your jeans?!'. I used to buy skinny jeans back then and put then on inside out, then sew up the sides to make them even tighter! These ones are high waisted Mango jeans that used to leave huge groove marks on my legs and turn them blue after a day of wearing because I sewed them so tight! I used to sew and DIY things back then because I couldn't find what I was looking for in the shops. Now I can see my haphazard sewing skills are too rubbish but I definitely had unique items!

Then on the right are REALLY old pictures, circa 2006/7. The gold dress is lamé, vintage off eBay and altered by me so it fitted super tight on the waist. The shoes are also pink vintage heels from a car boot sale. The dress on the right is a vintage red prom dress that I got on the first day COW vintage in Birmingham opened (or the yellow vintage shop in Digbeth)! On my lunch break in college, I travelled 45mins each way into town and back to hit this new vintage shop, and snapped up a strapless bright red prom dress for £10. It was £12 but I only had £10 cash on the day and the guy let me have it! I shortened it and wore it plain, but I also ordered some comic strip fabric off eBay and made a full skater skirt by sewing it to a red waist sash off another vintage dress. Then I made the comic strip bodice/bralette, and wore both over the vintage red dress. It was fab! I wore these two outfits to sneak into clubs with my fake ID, and remember the comic strip dress literally falling apart as I danced because my hand sewing was so shoddy, haha! My sister also got wear out of this dress and I think we still have it. 

With older clothing you can sometimes accumulate them, even though they're not in the current cycle of dresses you like to wear. I don't want the clothes clogging up precious wardrobe space, but can't imagine just throwing them away. One way of keeping all the clothes back home secure, without using up wardrobe space is to put them in suitcases and then store them somewhere out of the way. I LOVE all these outfits, they're all classics so no shame here!

30 Day Clothing and Accessories Challenge Day 26

    26. A hat

Ohh I meant to post this before my hair post so it would secretly blend into the blog quickly! I feel super ridiculous in a hat. It's no big deal in the end as who cares what you look like when everyone is rushing to work in at 8.45am, but I feel silly taking a photo of a hat with myself in it! Also what do you do with a hat indoors? Do you take it off every time you go into a different shop? Do you wear it around the store? I do like this H&M hat and snapped it up before they sold old, but I'm not sure when the day will come that I wear it. It could be tomorrow, it could be in three months. However next time I'll try not to be munching a breakfast bar during the photo!

My Favourite Hair Products

Hi all! You may or may not know that a couple of months ago, I took part in a John Frieda live web programme where I straightened my hair on webcam! Haha that sounds very random but it was to try the 3 Day Straight Spray. You can see an edit of the whole show at the end of this post which was FULL of hair tips, like how you could start from the top rather than the bottom to dry your hair so your top layer looks the nicest. I always go from the bottom and end up not being bothered when I finally get to the top layer of my hair! I made YouTube videos on how I dry and style my hair a few months ago too but here are the products that I'm using right now. Some are LOVES, some are strange and some are damn necessary, a lot like air. If you have any recommendations for me, I'd lovelovelove to hear! P.S. Bought all ths myself, no sponsor or anything (or ever!), just felt like talking about hair!

I have two sets of products, one for frizz taming and drying and one for pumping up the volume and sorting out a third day 'do!

John Frieda Frizz Ease Straight Fixation Light Weight Creme: Anyone with frizzy or dry hair will know a cream is an essential as sometimes you want to tame and soften if everything's gone a bit like straw. This cream goes a little sticky too which helps mould my curls and define them.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Serum Extra Strength Formula: NOTHING is like this! I've said a million times that when I lived in Sweden, I actually spent £12 on this per bottle, and the millimetre of product at the end of the bottle really does last weeks as I used to use mine up 110%! When I section off my hair for blow drying, I'll put a pump through each part (about eight sections in total) so the serum is then almost dried into the hair so it really penetrates it and drys smooth. Then I'll rub some between my fingers and run it over each curl a few hours later to define them so they hold for longer. Sometimes I'll rub a pump lightly through my hair maybe on the 2nd day to keep it sleek. No other serum is as thick as this so it goes a long way.

Kerastase Elixir Ultime: I haven't had a JF Serum in months because I was trying to use this up, but it lasts forever and ever! It's the same thing as Moroccan oil as it's got argan oil in it, and a bunch of others, but it's just too thin for my hair. It makes it soft but I prefer my hair to have hold, so I have defined curls rather than loose waves.

 

The main thing in my volumising routine is my Denman Dressing Out backcombing brush but I must have left it at home, damn! It's really thin so you can get right to the roots of your hair. I always backcomb my roots a bit just under my top layer of hair or else my hair hangs flat when I have just washed it. And then on a night out, I love BIG hair!

Schwarzkopf got2b POWDER'ful Volumizing Styling Powder: This comes in one box for girls and one for boys, LOL! I was tempted to buy the boys just because they're exactly the same product. This is basically a powder that you rub into your roots (I shake it straight onto my already backcombed roots as rubbing it into your hands first just gets rid of it) and it makes your hair matted. Matted hair sounds gross and it smells BAD but it really locks in your teased hair for days! And no one is really going to start feeling your scalp right?

Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume: I have heard loads of hype on this but it isn't great! When I first got it I was impressed but realised your 'volume' doesn't last until you even step out of the house so what's the point?!

TIGI Catwalk Root Boost: I have had this for a while but recently fell back in love! It's a mousse but comes in a spray can so you don't need to squirt out a huge blob and get it all over your hands. I spray it in my teased roots for extra hold but also spray a fine layer over my curls and gently pat it in, which makes then super defined and shiny. They have hold but they aren't crispy or stiff!

Schwarzkopf got2b 2sexy Hair Spray: OMG go buy this!!! Seriously!! This is my tenth can maybe? It smells like raspberries and has hold but doesn't give your hair crunch. You won't want to stop spraying it! And Boots have it for half price at £2 right now! Or maybe it's Superdrug, I'll have to check in store. Before I buy anything, I check in Boots and Superdrug first to see which has the best deal! But the new Superdrug beauty card has 10 points per £1 while Boots is only 4/£1 I believe, so you must factor that in.

TIGI Bedhead Defrizzer, Smoother, and Instant Restyler: I was walking in Bristol town and nearly bypassed a girl promoting things when I heard 'free hair product' and was like 'Well, hellooo!' She gave out some samples and also a hair scratch card (omg scratch card from heaven!) where I won a free TIGI product from a salon. I couldn't decide between a deep conditioner or red hair shampoo but in the end I got this spray in an INSANE bottle. Really this product should be in a mini bottle as it's for touch ups a few days after you wash your hair. Sometimes when you have washed your hands, do you feel like smoothing them over your frizz while they're still damp to calm it down? However you don't because you know adding any dampness to your hair will result in more frizz later! This product seems to slightly dampen your hair at first so it's just like smoothing down your frizz but it doesn't end up frizzier. I'd love this for the end of the day if I'm going out straight from work as it really refreshes your hair, but the bottle is just too mental and huuuge.

Check out the John Frieda show here and see me with suuuper straight hair haha!

AW11 Trends: '70s

This may be sad but hey, I do like to plan these things! I'm thinking about what I want to wear this autumn as I want to buy things for a reason rather than ending up with a bunch of mismatching things, which is what I have done in past years. I used to be confused by buying lovely things but only having lectures to wear them to! But now I have to look decent at least five days a week so clothes need to be wearable, well fitting/good quality, and feel a bit special so I feel nice!

I'm flicking through Cosmo and Company right now as I don't buy Vogue and the past few issues of Elle UK have been a snooze fest! I took my subscriber copy on the train home and didn't read it, and even left it in Birmingham unread because one flick and I was tired and bored. Everything in there is just a bit heavy and long. However I love a good all round mag with embarrassing moments and problem pages and tips so I bought these two when I thought I was going to be without internet for the week (thanks again Sarah!).

They both funnily enough have the same autumn trend breakdowns, although I find my purchases always fall into the categories of: On Trend, Personal Style, Definite Wear, and Welcome Addition. On Trend things are of course the items that haven't been on the high street before and are key pieces for the season that will filter all the way down to a Primark copy; Personal Style items are ones that you see and you just love no matter what; Definite Wear things can be hard to pinpoint but they are things you will end up wearing loads with everything; and Welcome Additions are fun injections to freshen up your wardrobe. Welcome Additions can often be impulses for me though and things I move on from quickly, so I don't end up exploring all the different ways they can be worn. 

After looking at the autumn fashion trends, I can see a few where I can adapt what I already own and can see a few items to add to my shopping list. The end result is to have a wardrobe where you don't find yourself stuck five minutes before you leave the house because you don't have the right belt/shoes/cardigan, but you end up getting good wear out of everything. It also has to feel fresh and exciting. Very tricky!!

So a major trend is '70s because it flows nicely from Spring/Summer stock. Flared palazzo trousers seem to be on the sale racks and the new racks but I won't be buying heavily into this trend as I fear it is soon to die a death! 

First I already have a few furry coats that could certainly nod to the trend but I will be most likely wearing an open knit black poncho I got in the Topshop sale. It's not exactly an Ugly Betty poncho as it's more like a shawl, where you throw it around your shoulders, but it's super warm and can be thrown over all my maxi dresses and skirts when it starts to get cold, and thrown off quickly again if I'm going shopping or indoors. There's something quite luxurious about a draped coat/shawl and a long maxi skirt as they both wrap around the body but have lots of material to them, so I think that's a bit '70s luxe! 

I have bright maxi skirts which, when paired with a soft curly blow dry, a felt hat, and maybe a gold belt, could definitely nod to the trend; especially as I just bought a felt hat! It's from H&M and I'm not sure I'll feel too normal wearing it as it seems pointless to wear a hat so it is just a showy item! But I will test it one day on the walk to work when I'm feeling brave. I'll take it off when I get there so wearing it for 20 minutes of the day definitely seems posey. I'm worried the wind would blow it off my head!

And of course I have my flared jeans! There is a rare day about once a month that I feel the urge to wear heels or wedges so I will get those out then. Apart from that, I'm not going to buy anything new with a '70s outfit in mind! I don't like wearing blouses and don't fancy a bright pair of trousers or a bright fur as they're a bit too much for me. A bright maxi skirt is easy to wear as it's one block colour but it would take a while to find a well fitting pair of trousers. Plus there are so many other new trends to check out!

P.S. Thank you for your interesting comments on my last post! I'm not on that pill anymore so I think I'll just have a break and let mother nature do her thing! With trying to feel better and healthier, I had a gym induction today but the huge machines, sweaty doors and many, many people were damn scary! I joined for the classes though so I'll maybe brave a machine or bike at a quiet time. When is a gym quiet?! I'm guessing in the middle of the day but I can't go then, damn!

It's Sunday, Sunday!

Forget Friday, it's all about the weekend! I love my  job but that makes weekends even better as I can recharge and get everything sorted for the next week ahead. The difference between being a 'professional' and a student is that you have to live for the weekend and treat yourself, otherwise what are you working for? Like being a student is a mixture of studying and partying with rare cash injections and you are a student 100% of the time, but working only takes up 9-5 every weekday and then your options are open. It's a bit weird!

I hold the importance of treating yourself very highly as I'm not one to scrimp and only shop in sales and get water at the restaurant instead of a drink. Those things would probably be more beneficial for my bank balance but you have to keep yourself happy! I think I've finally settled into the house here and Bristol and work, as the house is a bit more homely now, even if it is still very male! I just cleaned the bathroom though and it made me quite suicidal, I don't think it has been cleaned properly in actual years!!

So as I live in town, I pop to the centre a couple of times a week just to have a look round the shops and get any bits and bobs I need. I've also just joined a gym, which added up to a fortune with the trainers and membership fees that I had to get, even while making do with clothes I have for gym clothes! I seem to have things I have to visit home to Birmingham for all the time but if I'm here on a weekend, I like to spend a little day in town shopping around. I didn't have my camera but I had my phone so here are a few glimpses.

The best H&M seems to be the one outside the main shopping mall and there's loads of good things in there at the moment. I'm cautious of buying anything new right now as I need to plan what sort of trend I want to buy into this autumn and what I already own, but I've settled into a work/weekend style that I can predict. I got this little heart cropped tee as I know on the weekends I always wear jeggings, a cute tshirt and lots of jewellery!

I also popped into Poundland as I was walking through town as I wanted a new container and saw this cute cat box, perfect for a sandwich! Sadly it doesn't even shut properly so I'll have to save it for things stationed at home only. I also got some tissues, some gems I'll use for nails, and a flask where you can store the central tube in the freezer and it keeps your drink cool then for the rest of the day! I haven't actually done anything crazy to my nails in a while - weird! I guess that working in an office now which the potential of visits from big bosses means I don't want to have ridiculous nails. I love crazy nails but 3D nails are quite far into the extreme stages of nail art and can be quite shocking to some people!

The shopping centre in Bristol is called Cabot Circus and it's LOVELY but a bit like a maze! All the entrances are on ground level but they slope to all different levels when you reach the end of the row of shops, so you don't quite know which floor leads back to which entrance! I usually start at Urban Outfitters, though everything is tribal inspired in there right now and super expensive as usual. They have the Seche Vite topcoat there but it's £10 so I haven't picked that up! I saw this lovely swing coat though in navy with green piping, which I would seriously consider if I didn't have three perfectly good coats.

 

I popped into River Island, which has loads of great stuff in and makes me really miss working there! Every time I get something I feel like saying 'I used to work here!' with a big grin but there would be no point to that and the Sales Adviser would be like 'Errr OK!?'. I am literally LIVING in maxi dresses and skirts for work, and wear them about four days out of the five. They are so effortless and always fit well because they barely require any fit at all, and you don't need to worry about perfectly shaved/tanned legs last minute when you're getting ready in the morning! Slim maxis suit me best as I am more pear shaped, so a flared/empire maxi makes me look bottom heavy in an unflattering way, so I got this black maxi with slits up the side for only £20. The slits are just to below the knee and they give the skirt a unique column shape and make it a bit more special than a plain black skirt.

 

I found my way to another exit that has Topshop on the corner and had a browse, but I hardly ever buy clothes from there. Sadly 90% of the things I buy just never look as good as they did on the hanger once I've washed them, and so I can't justify the prices. However, the Leigh jeans in the burgundy colour on the left did catch my eye as I was looking for berry coloured jeggings a few weeks ago. I've decided to just stick to maxi skirts for the next few months but I thought coloured jeans would be fine for work and the Leigh jeans are a good half-jeans-half-jeggings hybrid. I had a pair last year but should have got a smaller size as they definitely get stretched after a few wears. Hmm I think these will haunt me for a few weeks until I at least try them on!

 

Also they still have a jewellery sale with loads left and everything was £1.50!!! I got loads of jewellery and will save it for future birthdays and Christmas presents. I got more than in this picture but I have them in mind for people who may see this post! I also got Head Over Heels cream blush as my Neon Rose one is almost running out, although I've literally has it for more than a year and use it every single day. They're so great! I stipple it on and put another powder blush over the top depending on which colour I fancy that day. Your blush will last from morning until night! I think I'm going to keep the earrings and the ring with the pink pearl at the centre.

 

I was toying with the idea of getting a blazer now I have a daily job but I don't think I need to look so smart and I haven't worn a blazer in years. They're the kind of wardrobe staple that you think would be handy but I think I can survive without one. This nude/beige one in Topshop was £65!!! Lovely though. This coat with a furry collar and cuffs was also looovely but I have my Miss Selfridge coat with a furry collar and cuffs. I definitely recommend those features in a coat, they make a world of difference! So comfy and cute.

I eat at Yo! Sushi at least once a week, I love it!! I still have my student discount hehehe. If you get the refillable Miso soup for about £2, you don't need a drink, and if you only get two dishes, it comes to around a fiver only! I am getting a bit bored of the vegetarian dishes as I've had them all now so there's no fun in trying something new, but they are still so tasty. I love the Vegetable Gyoza and anything with seaweed. Yo! Sushi is also a great place to eat alone as the belt is so entertaining to watch and you're involved with everything rather than sitting at a table alone. Sitting at a table for one in Nando's is a bit boring!

 

I went into Superdrug to check out the Sleek Pout Paints, which I LOVED. I really wanted the peach and coral but they were a fiver each, and even on 3for2, I couldn't really justify that as I have ten thousand peach and coral lip products. I popped along to Boots to check out their deals and the Got2B range is half price so I snapped but a 2 Sexy hairspray for only £2. I have been through at least ten cans of this, it's amazing and smells like raspberries! My old housemate Sophia (who is now teaching English in Colombia, I miss her so much but am so proud :') yay) introduced me to it as she knew Katie Price uses it, and now my Mom and sister use it too!

I've also not been having great hair days recently and it is totally because I refused to buy a new bottle of serum until my Kerastase Ultimate Elixir has ran out, but that is taking an eternity!!! So I just bit the bullet and got my ALL TIME favourite John Frieda Extra Strong Formula Serum, which I've also had a million times and even used to buy it in Sweden where it was £12!! It wasn't even on offer in Superdrug or Boots but I just had to get it, it has been too long!

  

Then I went to Wilkinsons on the way home and got a few plates and kitchen bits as I think nice crockery will encourage me to cook at home more! I got this cute storage box reduced to £1 and am going to use it to put my daily makeup in. I store my makeup in little draws from WHSmith but the stuff I use everyday ends up strewn across my table constantly. This should keep it all tidy but quick to locate. 

I also got a hand blender as my new favourite things are food and healthy living blogs! I think it's because I fantasise about having my own kitchen where I can make and store whatever I want as right now I share with eight others and eat out a lot. I was inspired by Laura of Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish who makes the most glorious looking smoothies!!! Her dessert ice creams look especially amazing. I'm going to try her recommendation of a banana, peach and spinach smoothie first!

I also love Sweet Potato Sarah, who is the reason I am actually able to blog tonight and am not banging my head against the wall as she gave me internet!! Well due to housemates moving in and out of my house all the time, an internet changeover means we haven't had it for a few days and probably won't for a few more, but Sarah answered a desperate tweet of mine when I was about to spend £££ on BT Openzone saying you can get it for free if you have BT Broadband. Well my Mom does so I can use her log in, yay!! Thank you Sarah! And thank you BT, I'm sorry I complained so much about your rubbish home broadband! I can't upload YouTube things but I can blog so Sarah I am so grateful. Please, as a thank you, go over and check out her blog as I love her recipes and food diaries but also love her life updates. Fingers crossed this post will publish OK! Have a great start to the week everyone xx

P.S. I thought I'd mention this as some people may relate but I have been on the contraceptive pill Microgynon for a while and think I have pinpointed it as a source of all my worries! Nothing major but in the past few months I've felt really emotional and up and down all the time, and would cry at anything and wouldn't be able to stop! I know I've had loads of changes and stressful times recently but I just didn't have the positive attitude I normally do and couldn't make a decision and was quite anxious. I don't know if it is placebo thinking but I'm pretty sure I've felt better and much more upbeat, sociable and relaxed since I've stopped taking it for only about a week. Has anyone experienced anything similar? I've heard of these things before as it's just the bog standard pill they give to most people.