Summer Haulin'

Summer is definitely my favourite season; I am one of those people whose mood is instantly brightened when the sun is shining. The clothes may also be a factor for my love of all things summer as your outfits aren't always hidden under your one winter coat. The colourful clothes in the shops are just that bit more enticing and so over the past few months I may have done just a litttttle bit of shopping.

I generally find River Island a bit hit and miss; their clothes often have a very distinct style which I tend not to like. However, saying that, I have been loving their clothes this summer and have to restrain myself in order to prevent maxing out my overdraft! As said in my Weekend Wishlist post  I am loving palm prints at the moment and these first two items are what started this love affair.

Palm Print Blazer - River Island (not on their website anymore but it is on sale on ASOS for £36)
Palm Print Skirt - River Island, £25 (can't find it on RI website but it is available on ASOS)
Shorts - River Island, £20 (not available anymore, but similar style here and here)




With birthday money (and the American Apparel voucher from Christmas) I went a little overboard on the tops front. I have really been loving all the neon yellow/lime green tops in the shops recently however, I don't think it suits my skin tone that well. The first t-shirt is a perfect way to pull off the neon trend as the grey background tones it down a little. I was struggling with what to buy with the AA voucher because it was worth £34 and as you may know AA is pretty pricey in England. However, I saw Laura Whitmore wearing this crop top a while ago when presenting I'm A Celeb...Get Me Out Of Here and had loved it then so, when I saw this still in the shops I snapped it up, and it's palm print, double bonus! The final two basic tops are to go with the palm print skirt and the yellow crop top also goes really well with the shorts.

Grey Lace Overlay Tee - Miss Selfridge, £20
Jungle Leaves Crop Top - American Apparel, £24
Blue Vest - H&M, about £6 (similar here)
High Neck Ribbed Crop Top - River Island, £10 (Yellow not online but this is the style)

Again, as said in my Weekend Wishlist, I have been in desperate need of a new pair of sandals as the sole of my previous pair of tan gladiator style sandals is flapping off despite my attempts at super gluing them back to life.

Metal Look Hardware Sandals - Next, £30.

I learnt last year that you cannot buy bikinis in summer - there will be none left. This year I started my summer shopping earlier and managed to nab these around May time, however they do still seem to be available online and so maybe in the shops as well.

Blue Twist Front Bandeau Bikini Top - Warehouse, £12
Blue Ruch Side Bikini Bottoms - Warehouse, £10
Apricot Lace Covered Bikini Top - H&M, £12.99
Apricot Lace Tie Side Bikini Bottoms - H&M, £7.99

I would say that's the end of my summer shopping for this year, however I did a bit of shopping whilst in California, but when in Rome right?

The Big 2-1!

I recently turned 21, however there was no big birthday bash for me as my birthday fell in the middle of my final University exams. Although this may have worked in my favour as I did end up getting a litttttle bit spoilt by friends and family!

My parents came down to Bristol for the day despite my demands for them not to as I had the best intentions to spend the day revising, however I am so glad they did as we ended up going to Harvey Nichols for a fancy lunch and they brought along some pressies for me to open.

I have been using the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser for about 5 years now after being first introduced to it by my mum so she definitely knows my love for it!  This one is a limited edition Orange Flower and Chamomile version which I can't wait to try because, despite being used to the original scent now so much that I don't even notice it, the original scent isn't to everyone's taste.
The Smashbox Try It Kit includes mini versions of the infamous Photo Finish Foundation Primer, Photo Finish Lid Primer, Full Exposure Mascara, Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx and Lip Enhancing Gloss in the shade Illume. This will be absolutely perfect as I about to go on holiday and really need to downsize my makeup bag a bit if I'm to be within the 20Kg limit!
I'd read lots about the Soap & Glory 'Glow Job' and was definitely keen to try out this tinted face moisturiser with instant wash off self tanner in it because although I tend to tan easily on my body, my face will always stay as pasty as ever!

My mum knows I'm a big fan of statement jewellery and so I was completely spoilt with these Swarovski gifts. The  'Meringue Pierced Earrings' are rhodium plated with a deep blue Montana crystal which are absolutely stunning, although perhaps a little too sophisticated for the type of events I attend, but I will definitely be storing these away to wear to the first classy event I get invited to!
The 'Airy Necklace' is also absolutely stunning and I cannot wait to wear it! The fringing is mixed metal and so will go with nearly everything as well. Swarovski describes this necklace as an 'urban tribal look with a feminine twist' which I think is spot on as the small crystals bring back that dainty 'pretty' feel.

My brother got me the standard DVD (this year it was the 2nd Hunger Games movie) and also this amazing pink and aqua crystal flower statement necklace from Next and a set of pearl earrings in a gradient of colours also from Next.

My best friend also completely spoiled me and they were such thoughtful gifts as I have been wanting these for so long! The Nails Inc. box is from the Couture section where you can personalise the bottle and the box and choose the shade. Laura (found here) picked Porchester Square, which I have been wanting for as long as I can remember, and is a gorgeous sophisticated mushroom shade.
Laura also got me the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette which I squealed in excitement when opening! This palette is slightly more cool toned than the first, containing taupe and greige natural toned shades. Of course this is absolutely gorgeous and I have been using it at every opportunity I get. My favourite shades so far are Half Baked, Tease, Snakebite and YDK.

I had a lovely Birthday and a biggggg thank you to everyone who made it special :)

New Year, New...

...Things?!

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and a lovely New Year and y'alllll are feeling relaxed and sufficiently plump. My Christmastime was full of movies, hot chocolates and mince pies all whilst snuggled up under a super cosy blanket with an obligatory candle burning. However, now we have entered dreaded January and uni work is now back on the timetable after a week of kicking the books to the side as I begin my last ever real semester (3rd term is basically just my final exams eeeekk!) However, less of the real talk, and back onto more serious things......presents!!

Now I'll admit I'm a nosey one and love finding out what people got for Christmas, so here are a few goodies I received this year...

Me and the main man himself

I decided to take wrapping paper into my own hands this year instead of using mum's left overs, especially as I wasn't getting home until a couple of days before Christmas and was really pleased with the outcome! The brown paper and glitter ribbon was from Paperchase, tartan labels from Sainsburys and the large box at the back from Clintons.

Pyjamas were top of my list for christmas presents so my mum and I went on a hunt. I'm the type of person that, if I have no plans, will spend the day in lounge wear. This tended to consist of old t-shirts and some form of too short for me bottoms, so I thought it was probably time to renew my stock and actually have some nice pyjamas for once since I spend so much time in them. I have a little obsession with owls at the moment (as you'll see throughout this post) so the first pair were an absolute must! The bottoms of this pair are like leggings (although not so skin tight) which is perfect for the cold weather as they don't ride halfway up your leg. The second pair are more for the summer and I love the lace detailing and there are little bows, which you can't really see in the picture, on either side of the shorts. The drapey cardigan also goes with this set and is really comfy and cosy. My old pair of slippers were falling apart and so I needed a new pair and I thought these mouse ones were cute and are so cosy.
All these were from Next (similar are 1, 2, 3)

Stocking Fillers:
Socks are a classic Christmas present and I received some cashmere ones which are sooo soft and these Christmassy print slipper socks.
Benefit Hoola bronzer and They're Real mascara are my all time favourites and so Santa did especially good getting me these. The mascara really lengthens the lashes and gives a good amount of volume too and I always get people asking me if I'm wearing falsies when I've applied this and Hoola is the perfect bronzer for my skin tone - not too dark, not orangey at all; just gives a nice colour.
The owl obsession continues and this, what I assume is an ornament, is now hanging above my desk.
The American Apparel voucher is actually from my brother and I'm thinking of putting it towards a dress, either this or this in cobalt.

I'm quite the boy when it comes to movies and I absolutely love marvel films (I blame my brother) so he got me the Iron Man Trilogy, Captain America and Thor on DVD.
I've read quite a few of the I Heart series by Lindsey Kelk so was excited to receive this new release. I've only just started it but it seems to be another great, easy read with all the romance, comedy and drama you'd expect.
Finally, I got a completely not-in-your-face at all laptop case for my new baby, a MacBook Air.

I've also done a little bit of after Christmas shopping, so here's what I've picked up in the sales:

My mum is completely feeding my love for owls and upon returning from a food shop at Sainsburys she also picked up this owl in the sale and got me a new candle for my uni bedroom. The scent is white fig and patchouli and smells divine and I love the cute little bow and heart packaging (although I think this is from their new spring range).

I'll be graduating in July and so am slowly starting to build up an appropriate work wardrobe and picked this skirt up in the M&S sale for £18, down from £29.50. This skirt is a lovely fit and I love the print, it's a kind of blurry houndstooth print, with the black panels down the side as that makes it really flattering.

I also picked up this nail polish set by Leighton Denny from Marks and Spencer beauty section for £6 down from £17.50. It includes a mini dark teal coloured polish called Persian, a mini top coat called Crystal Finish and finally, a sparkly polish called Angel Effect. It was this iridescent silver sparkle one that drew me in as my Models Own Snowflakes, which is similar, has gone gloopy so hopefully this will last better.

Once again, I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday period and I'd love to know what gifts you received or any of the sale steals you've picked up.