Clothes Show '13

Me and my best friend had a little adventure yesterday and got the train up to the clothes show in Birmingham! This is my third time going and it is always my favourite outing of the entire year. If you have never been, imagine endless rows of insanely cheap in season clothing and you've pretty much got it.
We went to the actual show at the 11 showing, absolutely stunning models, also lots and lots of gorgeous topless men. What more could you ask for?! It's a half-hour long show of music, dancers and catwalk, it's seriously phenomenal.

After that we did our main shopping, there is a huge fashion section which we spent the majority of the time in, and also a beauty section with the most amazing beauty offers ever - goody bags of big brands for just £10?! Yes please!!
One word of warning - the clothes show will exhaust you and your arms are guaranteed to be dropping off by the end of it, especially if you buy as much as I did.
Before getting the train home me and my friend had two subways to make up for all the calories we'd burnt during the day. Not even sorry, they were delicious.

cute picture of my bestie after eating our second subway...

Now 19

It was my Birthday a few days ago, and I have to say after the hype of having an 18th, no Birthday can quite compare. 18 is entering adulthood, being able to drink and becoming grown up and more responsible for all sorts of things, at 19 you just get the feeling of "you're going to be old soon enough." I don't want to age any more, I would be very happy indeed just to stay 18 for the rest of my life. Alas, that is not how aging works and so I am another year older. However, a birthday is a birthday and although this one has made me reflect on aging a lot, it was still one of my highlights of the year due to presents, food, friends and a little too much to drink!
As you may or may not know, I am an avid candle fan and so I received a few hundred from friends and family as gifts, I have absolutely no problem with this other than where to place them all! Apart from the candles my main present was money, very boring but it is meant for driving lessons and such.
I am still to have my main birthday outing to the clothes show with my best friend, which we are attending tomorrow! I will be posting about that after I have been I am sure! But for now I shall leave you with some photos of bits and bobs from my birthday! x

Candles everywhere, lotus candles, lavender candles and even candles that look like rocks.

One of the very few photos taken at the pub after a lot of birthday drinks!

Cute cases

I have discovered a website for the cutest cases you have ever seen, look how artsy and graphicy they are!!!

I bought two because I am out of control like that (my bank balance doesn't like me) and y'all should go do the same here, there are also a few other things on the website like cards and pocket mirrors if you are looking for something else. And don't you worry if you don't have the pleasure of an iphone in your life, they do some of the other popular phones out there as well! 

They are made by the wonderfully talented Polly who is not only making these but also doing her A levels (very jealous at her levels of ability)

Beauty Haul

So I met up with a friend to go "Christmas shopping" today and ended up spending a massive amount of money in boots, lush and topshop makeup instead, all on myself. I ended up getting not a single present for Christmas so that went well...

This is what I bought on my trip, from left to right: Loréal Paris glam bronze minéral, flake away soap and glory body polish, max factor glossfinity in aqua marine, rimmel wake me up concealer, topshop lipstick in beguiled and ohh la la, brazened honey face mask, breath of fresh air toner water, maybelline baby lips and bubblegum lip scrub.

Most of my buys are actually from reading reviews, especially when it came to the lip products. I've been craving some lipsticks for ages so I finally caved in to the topshop ones! All the lush products just smelled amazing so I couldn't just leave them there, so they somehow made it into my bag.

I'm sure I will do some reviewing later on when I've tried them out a bit, but from what I know, I consider all of them amazing buys! 

Holly x

Perks of work

Hi y'all, I feel I need an explanation for my lack of posts, and the only excuse I have is down to working! I'm a waitress for two companies currently, westonbirt restaurant and cowen and browse catering. I absolutely love both but neither are long term career choices - truth be told I have no idea what I want to be "when I'm older." (If I can even say that anymore - I'm 18 now and still without a clue of what I want to do)  

Anyway, the reason I thought my work was note-worthy this week is because of a lovely wedding I catered for over the weekend in Oxford, we travelled in groups up there by car and it was set just off from the cathedral, the colours were great and they had afternoon tea and cake, it was like summer indoors! 

I love working for weddings for two reasons, one is seeing their themes, colour scemes and general ideas being put together, and the other is the amount of freebees I seem to get at the end of it, a wedding not long ago there were tonnes of already opened wines left over so of course it would be a nightmare to box them up and take them away so we just had to take some home! This is a rare occurrence that we get alcohol, but the main freebee I always always receive more than my stomach's capacity of leftover food! Delicious food at that. This Oxford wedding I managed to nab a wonderful bouquet of flowers which were left on the tables!

Optimism Playlist

Now that the days are getting darker I find it harder to stay positive and keep on top of life as much, I find that a total life saver for these moments is to listen to happy music and sing and dance. If you are like me and need an uplifting beat or ten at times, then get these songs on your iPod pronto 'cus these are the tunes that I cannot help but smile to!

Schoolin' Life - Beyonce
Mr Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
Sunrise - Norah Jones
Good Day - Nappy Roots
Everybody Knows - McFly
I Love You I Do - Jennifer Hudson
Come Around - Tim & Jean
Budapest - George Ezra *
Turn To You - Sharks
Get Down On Your Knees And Tell Me You Love Me - All Time Low
Classic - MKTO


* Recommended to me through a blog post by this lovely lady

Hope this keeps y'all shining,

Holly x

Currently love

Products:

Morrocan argon oil - nothing new about this, people have been raving about it for ages, but at the moment it is making my hair go from a frizzy mess to ringlets. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the seriously tight curls, but it certainly beats the damaged hair I normally have to rock!

Bourgois Paris, Rose frisson blusher - I definitely prefer the pinker shades of blusher, and this one works a treat, it is less matte than my last blush and has a subtle shimmer, I use it every single day without fail!

Tv shows:

Supernatural is back and I have to admit that is my main tv love at the moment! If you don't already watch it you have a lot to catch up on, there being 9 seasons to date! It stars arguably the most attractive men on the planet, so if some serious eye candy isn't a reason to watch I don't know what is!

Breaking Bad - I am so late on the bandwagon for this one but I am almost done watching the first season, I really like it so far so I guess I will have a love for it soon enough. 

Made in Chelsea - this is the last one on my list (but there are so so many tv shows I could name if I wanted) but Made in Chelsea is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine, all the snobbery and drama, hatred for Spencer and a little bit of a girl crush on Lucy, it makes great Monday night tv!

Books:

I have just picked up a book from a charity shop called 'Room' - I read a good review on it which can be found here and thought I would give it a try, still getting into it at the moment so give me time, but so far so good! Interesting perspective and still a lot to be uncovered. 

Joya NSPCC Evening

I had the opportunity to going to a small event earlier today for a shop based in Nailsworth (Gloucestershire) called Joya. It has some wonderful homeware and accessory items that I can only describe as very cute, stylish and beautiful.

Tonight's event was held at the most beautiful manor house called Vale House, who also run a B&B if anyone was looking for a getaway weekend in the heart of the Cotswolds.

Although the company is small it has loyal customers and is a thriving business, I am frequently finding new things I like every time I am in there, so it was a pleasure to be invited to tonight, with amazing discounts and in aid of NSPCC how could I resist?!

So I nabbed a few little items as you can see here:

A candle holder with a silver lining and silhouettes of trees shining through, a heart hand warmer which I thought was very savvy for winter, and also a tartan scarf for a bargain of £1 - with tartan being very on trend right now I just bought it straight away!

Please feel free to go take a look at their facebook page and give it a cheeky like! As I said it is not a well known business at the moment so every little thing means a lot to them! 

Holly x

Jāsön review

Until not long ago I had never heard of this product, it was introduced into my life about a month ago from my mum would you believe it! She is the last person I ever go to regarding beauty products - her skin routine is awful (she believes that soap and water is the best option) and she hardly ever wears makeup. However when she came home one day with Jāsön in her arms (and not in a new man way) I decided it was worth a try, apparently she had bought it at a ridiculously low price on sale and said it smelt really good so she had bought it.

I tried it that evening and I haven't been able to stop trying it since!! As you can see the bottle is quite large, but it is well over half way through now, I don't know what it does to me skin-wise really but I use it in the shower and leaves my body smelling amazing and feeling fresh. It is also bound to make your mouth water so be warned - I have been craving apricot based drinks ever since! 

Day out with the boyfriend

I have had the most lovely weekend just passed! I decided to take my boyfriend for a well deserved treat to a local cafe called lavender bakehouse in Chalford, it is so cute and cosy, I can't even begin to describe how much I love it there! I didn't take many pictures while there so here are a few I took mixed in with photos from their website here.

I had a strawberry milkshake and a scone with jam and cream, which was incredibly filling but so delicious! We then walked my Aunt's two dogs (who are the friendliest and most stupid dogs in the world) along the canal path and to the local park where they decided to go for a little swim.

We then enjoyed a roast lunch at a pub which then carried on well into the evening when we were joined with friends, with a few too many glasses of rose. It was the best Sunday I have had in a long while and I definitely recommend going to your local cafe with a loved one and just sitting down and having a chat! I don't get the time to go out and just relax very often, so it made a nice change.

New fragrance: secret charm

Before payday, I decided to spend the very last of September's money on buying myself this new fragrance, it was a cheap buy I found from a seller on eBay and I have to say it was worth it!

 

It's part of Victoria's Secret range which before now I have only thought to look at for lingerie, but after seeing this particular fragrance I just had to buy it! It is honeysuckle and jasmine scented, which are genuinely two of my favourite ever scents. It is light and floral and completely gorgeous to wear, if you are looking for a new fragrance I would definitely recommend this one!

Payday Wishlist

Payday is almost here for me and this is when I get overly excited and think of everything I am going to buy this month (only to find I spend it on a few items and then need the rest for basic survival) but none the less there is always a list.

grey cardi, cream cardi, glossy box, dress

First up it has to be some warmer clothing - I am lacking in the way of cardigans and jumpers so I am seriously craving some knitted goods! I have to say I love topshop for this reason, so I have stuck with them and a few of their cardigans have made the list.

So far I have managed to avoid being sucked in by these marvelous beauty boxes that get delivered every month, but I feel like that time might be about to come to an end. The idea of getting a present from myself each month is just too appealing, so I have to say I am on the verge of caving and a year subscription to one of them has made the list.

I have also realised I am lacking in the way of sexy pyjamas, I have plenty of cutesy sets of tops and trousers but there is a completely no lace in that draw. So I feel some babydolls wouldn't go a miss on the list!

Last for this month, I have spotted a rather gorgeous ballerina style dress from topshop, and I just can't quite get over it, I have no idea what I would wear it with or when I will wear it, but I will figure that out later on because I am ever so slightly in love with it! 

Make sure you all spend wisely, but don't be afraid of a little splurge, you earned it!

Holly x

Give your home an Autumn makeover

The air is crisp, the trees are beginning to simmer, bad horror movies are appearing on TV, its officially Autumn! And for those of you out there that love to keep your house in season, there are a few little tricks for doing so!

Making a snug
Its time to cosy up in front of the TV with a hot chocolate or pumpkin latte (my favourite is a cinnamon tea - it's a normal tea with added cinnamon syrup) and to do so you are going to need all the cushions and blankets available! So whether you have an old patchwork blanket lying around, or just going and buying a nice throw-over to snuggle up in, this is an essential! Quirky cushions are also a must, you can go out and buy some if you know the places to look, or I have a collection of embroidered cushions at home from years of them building up. Have a nice little fire going as well if you have one, another essential for an autumnal snug! That way you can warm your toes after walks and have your pet (if you have one) lie out in front of it soaking up the warmth.

Scents and smells
Nothing quite says Autumn like stepping into a room which just gives that smell. One of the main ones for me was a casserole cooking when I walked into the kitchen, so having lots of these to eat is a bonus - nice food, nice smell! But for the rest of the house it may not be so desirable to have a foodie scent lingering, so try out some other smells that give that autumnal vibe. The ones you should be looking for are cinnamon, pumpkin, crandberry, vanilla. These are the ones that just radiate that warm glow of Autumn. If you don't want to go out to buy sprays and candles though, there is always the DIY options, wrapping up some cinnamon sticks or making up a bowl of orange rinds, apple peels and nutmeg to really give that home baking smell.

 

Small decor 

If you have the time, there are DIY projects to help your house looking seasonal and cute, spray paint some pine-cones, leaves or acorns to put on display how you like (or anything else you think looks pretty you come across in the woods.) You can try making some teacup candles, these look adorable and are inexpensive and reasonably easy to make! (Also great for birthday or Christmas gifts) Or even putting some thin branches in a vase and hanging things from them for the pre-christmas build up! You can also make dream catchers or tin can lanterns or anything else you fancy! The list is endless provided you find the time.

Make sure you have time to unwind, sit down with a hot beverage of choice, a fire lit, and start on that pile of books you didn't get round to reading over the summer.

Holly x