Hippy Flares & Florals

Hello everyone! Blogging at you from the lovely little Clifton Village in Bristol today where I'm staying with Charlie for our getaway from London at his parents place. Of course my suitcase was packed full to bursting so I couldn't bring my DSLR, so excuse the quality of some of these pictures. Still though, iPhone does preeeetty well.

I've been dying to get these flared florals out for ages but for some reason I just haven't yet; and of course when I finally get down to my lovely Summer gear it starts to RAIN (hence the change into a warmer long sleeved top from my original pre-photo floaty cream number). However, they feel so lovely and comfy and swishy that I couldn't care less that the weather sucked!

I don't normally go for trousers at all - I generally stick to my girly skirts and dresses or cosy leggings, but to be honest these are probably the girliest trousers that ever existed anyway and I love feeling like a hippy flowery princess. They are so ridiculously comfy that I think loose fit trousers may be a new personal trend of mine for AW15 - sassy, chic, stylish and above all comfortable (which in my ripe old age of 23 is becoming very important to me) - hitting the nail on the HEAD. I picked up this pair in the Zara sale a couple of months ago for £10 which is a bargain to be proud of, and can we appreciate for a moment how well they match these little garden gnomes!?

I've also rediscovered my obsession with tassels which seem to be everywhere at the moment - I am feeling big things for tassels, suede and patchwork for this season most definitely...but more on that later. This bag was a very recent purchase and I have to say I've already gotten my money's worth - it goes with absolutely everything and can add a fun quirk to a toned down outfit or a hippy flair to a pattern clashing ensemble.

Trousers - Zara (sale)

Top - H&M

Bag - H&M

Trainers - Topshop (sale)

Ring Bracelet - Primark

The rest of the day was spent at the adorable Bristol zoo round the corner from Charlie's house. As much as I love London zoo and their conservation work, the animal sanctuaries are much more spread out in Bristol and you can't help but feel that they seem a bit happier! Also, Bristol zoo has bats. And I LOVE BATS. Cute little furry bunnies with wings basically, what's not to love.

Well, I am absolutely drained from a day at Banksy's Dismaland which I'll be blogging about very shortly, but until then zzzzzzz.... 

                                                                              xxx

Festival Edit (ish)

Right, so I haven't actually been to any festivals this year but I WISH I was so I'm playing dress up and styling a festival look whilst pretending I'm at Bestival... or End of the Road... or Sziget, or Wilderness, or Coachella, or SGP or ANY of the above where I can dress like a rainbow princess and run around covered in flowers and feathers without a second glance. 

Amazingly, quite a lot of festivals take place in September despite the temperamental UK weather which means its really a perfect way to round off the Summer and see it out with a bang. This outfit is definitely geared towards a warmer climate because lets not lie, it's quite revealing (for me anyway), so I felt it would be perfect for something like Sziget Festival in Budapest which I went to last year. Sziget was a DREAM. I absolutely hate camping but because Sziget is based on a tiny island with really quick and easy connections to the city, my pals and I just bought day passes and got a cheap taxi back to our hotel in the centre at the end of the night. Simples. That is my kind of festival. No collapsing tents, no dealing with portaloos in the middle of the dark night, showers galore, and no sharing sleeping quarters with an insane amount of mosquitos. And in England, an insane amount of mud and rain should you get unlucky with the weather.

Of course the weather in Hungary in August was beautiful so swimwear was definitely a must; not only does the festival have tons of great bands, DJs and food, but they also have watersports, craft tents, games, rides, everything you could think of. We didn't end up doing any watersports or swimming but I still stripped down to my bikini and shorts for a spot of sunbathing while listening to the Hungarian sensation that is Punanny Massive. I kid you not. I'm not as brave as a lot of festival-goers so felt this red lace dress (from the Coachella collection at H&M) was ideal for covering up a little especially when the night cooled down. Combined with the printed swimsuit and colourful headscarf, I felt like a magical unicorn and was ready to dance into the night (in my dreams).

  

My wonderful experience over in Budapest definitely inspired this outfit and I wore it to Sziget in spirit, and thought I'd share it with you incase you need some festival inspiration ahead of any taking place in your part of the world this month.

As well as this, I made a little capsule collection of make up and accessories which I feel are essential if you want to look (and smell) your best at a festival without having to worry about plastering on full faces of make up or faffing around with showers. Mini sample sizes are perfect for festivals or camping trips because they obviously weigh close to nothing and it doesn't really matter if you lose them; which in my experience is preeeetty likely. 

Festival Make Up & Beauty Essentials

Benefit Pore-fessional License to Blot - Blotting Stick

Sweat, oil, clogged pores - the curses of camping and not showering. I love this blotting stick precisely because it is a stick and as easy to apply as a chapstick - just swipe over your t-zone or any moist spots and within minutes you've got a lovely matte finish on your face and no visible nasties. It also minimizes the appearcen of pores, which is why I swear by it everyday as well as for festivals or trips away.

Label M - Shine Spray

Let's be honest, no one showers at festivals, and everyone gets smelly with greasy hair. Dry shampoo is definitely a great option, but if you want to give your hair back some of it's lustre this Label M shine spray does the trick. Quick spritz after dry-shampooing and your hair looks good as new! No one will ever know...

Bare Minerals - miniature foundation powder & brush

Festivals tend to be sweaty places, whether it's the due to the climate or the intense dancing and jumping around, make up rarely stays where it's supposed to. This loose powder foundation from Bare Minerals is super easy to dust over your face and absorbs any unwanted moisture (sweat) as well as not leaving your face feeling too sticky and warm in the sun which a lot of liquid foundations can cause. The tiny sample size pot and brush I have are again essential as they take up barely any space and you probably won't even need to bring it home at the end of the trip. 

LAQA & Co - Cheeky Lip

This lip colour stick is amazing for festivals - quick and easy to apply, it's a soothing balm (great for sun chapped lips) but with a lovely splash of colour that does actually last a while. Above anything, it almost combines lipstick with balm so you've no need for both.

Lush - Charity Pot

Lush sells these at the counters in all their stores, and as the name suggests the proceeds go to charity which is a good a reason as any to fork out a whole ONE POUND for it. This tiny little pot of goodness is sweet smelling mosturiser which you can use anywhere. The tiny pot is the perfect quantity for a couple of days away and as a multi-purpose mosituriser you don't need to worry about bringing multiple products to help out any sun damaged skin.

MUA - blusher

I can't actually see what this shade is called, but I'm sure it's one of the palest. I was dubious of MUA's cheap prices at first but this tiny blusher actually has very good pigment and surprisingly good staying power. Again, at only £1 (seriously!) it's not even worth bringing home again so it's excellent even if you do lose it. Why bring all your fancy bits with you if they might go missing in the mud!?

Right, I'm in Bristol for a few days now so I'm off to go to the zoo to visit my favourite bats and red pandas eeeeee. Hopefully I'll have another post up over the weekend, I don't have my camera in Bristol though so will have to make do with the good old iphone. Till then! :) x

Build Your Own Birchbox Pop Up

Hi everyone! So as promised I'm reviewing the recent 'Build Your Own Birchbox' pop-up shop at Selfridges today. Honestly, if Birchbox offered this every month I would hands down brave the crowds of Oxford Street to be able to choose every sample in my box (and receive the free surprise gift too) for only £1 more than the usual monthly subscription charge. As much as I love Birchbox, there's always a couple of samples each month that I don't really use - either because it doesn't quite suit my skin or hair type, or isn't my shade of make up. Being able to choose your own items of course eliminated that problem, and I made sure I chose items that I would definitely get use out of and made sure to get my moneys worth. The pop up shop actually had over 30 different samples to choose from including big name brands such as Elemis, Stila, Benefit and Rituals, so of course I couldn't say no.

Here are the items I ended up picking and what I think of each of them - They're ordered in my favourites but I really do love each sample as much as the next - I couldn't be happier with how the finished box turned out.

Rituals - Foaming Body Wash with Rose and Almond Oil

Aside from the bottle looking a little like a bottle of lube (sorry but I keep thinking that every time I see it...) I LOVE anything from Rituals so of course couldn't pass this up. First of all, it smells heavenly and the sample size is huge - and a little really does go a long way. The foaming wash feels so lovely and soft against damp skin and lathers up to give you a thorough but gentle cleanse whilst making your bath or shower smell oh so goooooood.

ThisWorks - Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

The aptly named ThisWorks is a company I heard of a few years ago, and since then I have been hooked on their deep sleep pillow spray. I often struggle to fall asleep and this gentle lavender smell on my pillow soothes me to sleep like a little baby. Initially I was dubious but you gotta trust the name...this DOES actually work. I had just run out of my big bottle so it was perfect timing for me to pick up this little replacement.

Philip Kingsley - Hair Elasticizer Treatment

Philip Kingsley is another brand that I have Birchbox to thank for bringing into my life - after trying the itchy scalp shampoo in one of my boxes last year (after trying absolutely tons of dry scalp shampoos that didn't work at all) I have had a lovely soothed scalp and couldn't be happier. This elasticizer treatment is just as good. Although the sample size doesn't go very far if you have as much hair as I do, it conditions so deeply and leaves hair feeling beautiful and soft. Definitely worth a try!

Mirenesse - Lip Stick

I had never heard of Mirenesse before but I adore this lip colour stick. I normally stick firmly to proper lipsticks rather than glosses or colour crayons because the colour usually doesn't really last or barely even comes out at all - but the Mirenesse lip stick keeps lips coloured for hours and gives a sparkling gloss finish without the gooey stickiness of actual lip gloss. Amazingly it can even be used on cheeks as a blush tint, and the packaging gives you directions on how to achieve a rose glow. Excuse the dodgy close up but you can see how the colour came out on the image below:

Benefit -POREfessional Balm & Embroylisse Nourishing Moisturiser

Okay if I'm honest I haven't tried either of these yet but I really can't wait. I've been struggling with open pores and shiny skin recently and the Benefit balm promises to minimise the appearance of pores and even out complexion. I've also run out of moisturiser so the Birchbox sample was the perfect time to try out a new one, I'll keep you posted if they're any good!

and... THE SURPRISE GIFT!

I already had a nice yellow make up bag pouch from my July box but was pretty happy to get one in another colour (always needing more make up storage) for freeeeee. Inside there was a soothing eye mask and Birchbox eye pencil sharpener - make up box staples for sure!

I am knackered from working three jobs so excuse me while I got and deflaaaate. Next week I'll be in Bristol so keep your eyes peeled for some slightly different outfit of the day posts as well as pictures of little zoo trips and eating as much Mexican as I can squeeze into me. Yum. Bye!

Primark & Suede

After a Saturday of exploring Canary Wharf for work and building my own Birchbox in Selfridges London (more on that later), I'm sort of knackered and full of amazing goat tacos so I'll keep it short. I was trying to decide what to wear today and realised an alarming amount of my wardrobe is from Primark - so that's the theme for todays post! Primark (i.e. cheap)  e e e v e r y t h i n g.

Although I love Primark, it's no secret that the quality is usually pretty terrible and it can often look reaaaally cheap. Plastic buttons painted gold, jagged hems, loose stitching. However, there's always a few gems hiding away in there. Even better, now Selfridges has opened a small Primark pop up in the Women's High Street Fashion section - and they've actually picked out all the best key pieces for this season and don't bother with stocking the rest! It's actually styled like a real shop with some design and class, and I sort of love it. No more rifling through rails, climbing over piles of discarded jumpers and elbowing people out the way to get that one last dress in your size. The good people of Selfridges have done it all. for. us. 

 

I recently bought this suede feel skirt and was actually amazed at how soft it felt, it seems like surprisingly great quality for what I'm used to from Primark. Just because something didn't cost much, doesn't mean it needs to look cheap - I've even had a few people comment on it and have been knocked back when I explain where I found this cheeky secret. Similarly, I picked up the black tassel rucksack a while ago for the same reason. Although the quality doesn't feel quite as nice as the skirt, it's definitely a statement piece but still not overly obnoxious and has the potential to be from anywhere really; which I definitely like.

The jacket, well - I guess I don't have much to say about that. I mean, it's a denim jacket. It does the job and I like it. Besides, it only cost £6 and for a struggling artist that is the find of the century.

Jacket - Primark, £6

Skirt - Primark, £10

Sunglasses - Primark, £1.50

Bag - Primark, £10

Top - Primark, £6

On another note... I have a brief restaurant review to share with you. If you know me, you know how much I LOVE food but am struggling after developing allergies to cheese and tomato, as well as being intolerant to wheat and large quantities of dairy. Did you realise how many things tomato is in!? I didn't! Chilli and spag bol, burgers, pastas, meat sauces, all BBQ glazes, salads (not that I eat those let's be real), anything seasoned or in sauce basically. That's why I was SO EXCITED to be able to try the modern brisket roll and the goat taco's (which normally come in BBQ glazes or smothered in tomato salsa) at a new restaurant in Chiswick; Smokehouse.

The brisket roll was a modern take on the classic - pulled brisket seasoned with Korean spices, marinated and tender and then breaded and fried - like a croquette. Alongside this the goat tacos were covered in chipotle sauce and the chef's special green salsa - I still don't know what was in it but I am in love. I'll admit at first I wasn't sure about trying goat but who am I kidding, it was meat and it was awesome. Charlie's burger was also amazing and had a Korean flair too; medium rare beef with Korean pulled pork and a kimchee style mayo dressing. Un-bel-iev-able. The quality was excellent as was the originality of the dishes; although my stomach was a little too sensitive to finish the spicy brisket roll, I am definitely glad I tried it. And oh boy, I will be back for those tacos. Actually, I'll be back even before then because it's a gorgeous pub too and just seems like a great place to spend a lazy afternoon.

 

So...I guess I didn't keep that as short as I expected. I'll post about the 'build your own Birchbox' pop up soon - it was DEFINITELY worth the visit. And also I'll be complaining about how Cosmo's Fashion Fest seems great but really un-graduate friendly and expensive. Till then! x