Tuesday 29 April 2014

The Pursuit of Happiness


Since getting back from the most ridiculously incredible four months of my life, living out of a backpack around some of the most beautiful countries in the world, it's been an interesting task adjusting back to the real, and far less sunny world. Of course I have loved being reunited with all of my friends and family, and coming home ready for the birth of my beautiful baby niece was the best homecoming gift, but aside from the welcome home parties and baby cuddles there have been days when I've been sat at home watching my tan fade (which by the way is more dull than watching paint dry) and it's been difficult not to get sucked into the big travel-shaped hole that's been left in my life. And I feel guilty even writing that as I know I am unbelievably lucky to even have seen and experienced some of the things I did (and at my age too!), but there is no denying that the spontaneity of travelling can give you a slightly tarnished view of the 'normal life'. So in order to lift my spirits between the endless job applications and reorganising of my wardrobes, I have ensured that time has been taken out of my day to enjoy the little perks of home life. They may not quite compare to lying on a tropical island or hiking through glaciers, but considering these cost just a fraction of the price, they don't do a bad job.

  • A good cuppa cha. In the biggest, bowl-like mug you can find.
  • A fresh batch of ultra gooey brownies. Tutorial for some particularly indulgent badboys coming soon!
  • A crisp, unopened glossy (along with that staple cuppa).
  • Starting a new book. If you can't be in a Utopian far away land, then why not imagine you are?
  • A hot bubbly bath. Aaaaand relax.
  • Some exercise. No matter how much you don't want to do it, you know it'll make you feel better in the long run (pardon the pun).
  • A ruthless clear out. Clear space, clear mind and all that. You'll be shocked at how much you find that you no longer want/use - why not stick it up on Ebay/Depop and earn yourself some pennies at the same time?!
  • An iTunes revamp. Get some upbeat, positive tunes on there and blast them out at all times of day.

Wednesday 9 April 2014

16 Old School Products Every '90s Girl Owned (and probably still has lying around somewhere)

1. A pot of body glitter, which was essentially glitter mixed with glue that would stick your eyelids together when you were trying to make an extra special effort for the school disco.

2. Transfer tattoos, especially the hoop shaped ones that would go around your belly button, which you would then show off (also at the school disco) by wearing a crop top and low rise flares. Sexy.

3. Nearly every piece in the Glitter Babes line, from bright purple peel-off nail varnish to hot pink eye shadows. When it came to Glitter Babes, you had to have it all. 

4. Speaking of glitter... another absolute essential was that spray in hair glitter that clumped together in suspicious dandruffy patches. Anything that sparkled and made you feel like Baby Spice was pretty dreamy though.

5. An electric blue mascara. Apparently looking like an alien was cool back then?

6. Dream Matte Mousse - without a doubt every girl’s first ‘grown up foundation’. Pretty sure the only reason this is still on the market is due to revenue made by no one other than 13 year old girls

7. The entire range of Impulse body sprays, one to suit every mood and occasion. Because you truly believed that ‘Tease’ would drive the boys crazy!

8. A bottle of So....Kiss Me? for those occasions when a spritz of Impulse just wasn't enough.

9. A very sticky, gloopy lipgloss you got free with a copy of Mizz, which made a sickening suction noise every time you pulled the wand out. It may have clung to your hair every time you turned your head but it made you feel grown up whenever it needed ‘topping up’ whilst in the presence of your friends.

10.  L’oreal Kids Shampoo and Conditioner, which led you into a false sense of trust when the advert stated it to be ‘tear-proof’, only to find it still stung like a bitch. You still can’t fully trust L’oreal for this reason.

11. Lip Smacker lip balms, most of which you would end up consuming due to their unbelievably tempting scent and surprisingly nice taste (especially the watermelon one). You’d only ever apply it so you could lick it off again. Yum.

12. A Miss Sporty eyeliner when Avril Lavigne became a style icon and made the ‘emo look’ cool. After hearing Sk8er Boi for the first time you ditched the body glitter and went from pink fairy girl to punk rock princess over night.

13. Clearasil Deep Pore Face Wipes, which actually felt like acid wipes due to the amount they stung your face. You didn't care though if it meant having spot free skin, because what was worse than having a spot? (Nothing). Skin stripper anyone?

14. Some Body Shop bubble bath, usually given to you in a party bag, that smelt too good to use and sat in your cupboards never to be used. Because ‘wasting it’ would have been worse than looking at it for years only to chuck it away having never used the stuff, obviously. 

15. Stick on gems that you’d carefully arrange around your eyes for a mysterious, sexy look. This was only for very special occasions like birthday parties and (again) school discos due to the complexity of the task.  

16. A Babyliss Crimpin Trio. This one isn't so much as a product as a styling tool, but it definitely deserves a place on this list. Where would we have been without our hair crimpers that took a good half hour to heat up and a further two hours to work around our head?! 

Tuesday 8 April 2014

Summer Wish List!


It may only be April but in my eyes that can only mean one thing... Summer is nearly here! Since getting back from travelling the world three weeks ago I have been getting serious withdrawal symptoms from seeing the sun and my body is not happy being wrapped in 1000 layers every time I leave the house. So, to brighten my mood and get me excited for the fast approaching summer, I decided to make a summer wish list of some of the beautiful seasonal items hitting our stores at the moment. I particularly love the Miss Guided jumpsuit and the Peter Pan Collar blouse which is a steal at just £9.00 in the Fashion Union sale!

Let's just hope we get some nice weather to wear it all now!

1) Floral Jumpsuit - Miss Guided, £29.99 2) Mac lipstick in Hoop, £15.00 3) Peter Pan Collar Blouse - Fashion Union, £9.00 4) Dolce and Gabbana - Dolce, £62.00 5) Heels - Miss Selfridge, £38.00 6) Teardrop Ring - Freedom at Topshop, £8.50 7) Sunglasses - Topshop, £16.00