Small steps, they lead only to your heart

Happy Friday everyone! I have no idea where this week has gone, it went by so very very quickly and my exams are getting closer and closer. At the beginning of the week a friend and I went to stay with another friend who is studying at UEA in Norwich and had a lovely time. We went shopping, out for a few drinks and had a much needed catch up! I don't know if any of you have been to Norwich, it has some great shops and I was very surprised to see that Boux Avenue had just opened a store (us countryside folk need nice underwear too) so we popped inside and were blown away by their customer service, presentation, and the lovely products they had on offer. All of my friends ended up buying something, I got these and they were wrapped beautifully-

I couldn't resist taking a photo of the packaging before I opened my new undies! They also put scented petals in the bottom of the bag too. Have any of you been impressed by Boux Avenue too? We also spent a long time in H&M, their current collection is fabulous! I took a mountain of clothes into the changing rooms to try on and ended up buying this pretty sleeveless blouse-

It was only £12.99 and with my £5 voucher I had it was even cheaper, I also picked up this pretty flower hair clip at the till as I never normally wear that type of thing but I thought it would accompany the top quite nicely- what do you think? I fell in love with the faint flowers on the blouse. The blouse has a silky finish to it (and is also a little bit see-through!). Despite the weather probably not being quite up to scratch to wear this out by itself just yet I'm teaming it with coloured jeans and my cardigan or denim jacket. 

I also thought I would share with you a song I am really liking at the moment (and it's where the title for this post came from) by Jessie Ware, she's gradually getting a bigger name for herself and has a really different edge to her, give it a listen and let me know what you think :) xxx

Stone to stone they take me on, I'm walking 'til the break of dawn

Me outside the V+A: Hoodie: American Apparel//Top: H+M//Shorts: New Look

Reiss outside the V+A

I absolutely love London, probably because it makes such a refreshing change from the endless fields I am surrounded by back home! This weekend I went down to see my boyfriend Reiss who lives just outside of London. We met up in the city centre and had an amazing day exploring Harrods, enjoying a cuppa in the Knightsbridge Starbucks, wandering around the fabulous V + A museum topped off by some retail therapy in Oxford Street in the afternoon not to mention being treated to lots of yummy food!

Despite the odd shower of rain here and there and a lot of walking we had a lovely day and both bought a pair of 'Toms' shoes ready for the summer. I bought the navy blue pair that have stripes down the sides whilst Reiss just went for plain navy blue (after trying on every style and size in the shop!). I decided to leave them at Reiss' house for now as it's doubtful the weather is going to improve in the next week I am home! I also bought a Kohl eyeliner in black from the Topshop make-up range as I had read such good reviews. Where are everyone's favourite places in London?

(Toms shoes picture: Toms website)

The Oxford Street Topshop was very very busy as always, I found a nice pair of coral trousers in the sale but the queue to try them on was ridiculously long so I ended up leaving them. I also saw a beautiful dress by another brand that they stock but now I can't find it on the internet- typical!!

I've had a little look at the Topshop sale online- far less stressful than scouring through the rails and these are my top picks! Have any of you found any bargains in the mid-season sales?

Also I am very excited to have reached 50 followers!! Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, I love writing it but I also enjoy just as much reading everyone elses! My second year uni exams are getting closer and closer so my posting may become a little less frequent but I do have some great posts lined up so do keep reading! xxx

Out of my comfort zone...

Blazer: Laura Ashley//Blouse and Shorts: H+M

For the past year and a bit at uni I've been dressing in my own clothes everyday and before that it was sixth-form where we were also allowed to wear what we wanted. So it's seemed a bit strange suddenly having to think about how to dress for the world of work. With only a year left at uni I need to start thinking about the wider world and get out of my comfort zone of jeans, cardigans, casual shorts, t-shirts and pretty dresses!

Tomorrow afternoon I've got an interview for an internship over the summer (eeek nerves are kicking in) as this afternoon I've been frantically rummaging through my drawers trying to find something to make me look a)employable and b)respectable and c)19 years old and not trying to dress beyond my years! Trust me it was harder than it sounds.

Luckily my sister came to the rescue and has lent me her new H+M paisley print shorts and blouse. I've teamed them up with my Laura Ashley blazer and I'm pretty pleased how it all looks together! So tried it all on (just to make sure and save me the trauma tomorrow in-case it didn't). I must admit I'm quite looking forward to going into a formal work environment (bit different to my part-time job in my local pub!).

What is everyone's 'go to' shop for their work wear? I think I am definitely tempted to start wearing slightly smarter clothes as I am getting a bit older! Fingers crossed tomorrow goes ok and I won't turn into a babbling wreck as I have done before in scary situations (i.e. my first driving test when I was so nervous I rambled on about my whole life story to the poor driving test man to the extent he asked me to stop talking!).

Also bit of a side note- two things I am loving at the moment- the website stumbleupon.com which you list your interests and it takes you to websites that contain that interest somehow! It's a fun way to discover websites you otherwise might not have even dreamt of existing (although WARNING it is a mega procrastinator tool, you can find yourself 'stumbling' for hours!!). Secondly I have recently discovered video blogging and more directly people having their boyfriend or brother do their make-up for them- hilarious to watch, I'm tempted to do my own! Do any of you go on stumpleupon.com or do you watch vlogs? xx

Lets keep it short...

Cardigan: New Look//T-shirt: H+M//Skirt and Belt: Primark//Boots:Next

Despite loving the current trend of printed trousers being really popular with a lot of people at the moment I can't quite pluck up the courage to wear them myself. So instead I'm embracing the trend in my own little way and wearing patterned shorts instead! (Excuse the facial expression I was looking right into the sun!!)

I love the burgundy colour of these shorts and the browny pattern and belt makes it a bit more exciting. When I saw it in the shop they had modelled a mannequin wearing the shorts with a patterned top that covered up the majority of the shorts, I much prefer tucking in a t-shirt or vest top and styling it like this! Also I promise I'm not wearing slippers, these are my heeled boots that I bought back in the January sales (you can have a better look at them in a previous post I did here).

These are my picks of some of the pattern trousers available at the moment just in case I do decide to just get over my hesitance to embrace a full leg of pattern! What does everyone think? Are Pattern trousers a Do or a Don't? xx

Great Dane's cheekbones, teenage hormones

I was so excited to make a cheeky trip into the Cath Kidston factory shop (that is in a corner of their distribution centre in St. Neots) on the way back from Devon today. It was full of fellow CK lovers like myself with the odd grizzly child (they are just too young to appreciate the gorgeous floral prints!!). I bought myself a new make-up bag as I have had my previous one for several years and felt I deserved an upgrade. I got mine for £8 and they normally cost £12 so it was enough of a saving for me to feel like I was getting a bargain. You should have seen me 'umming' and 'ahhing' over the differing prints I had to choose from! In the end I chose a pretty pinky rose and baby blue one, what do you think?

Also as a huge fan of seeing people do posts of what they have in their make-up bags and hand bags I thought this is the perfect opportunity to show what I have in mine and will now be housed in my gorgeous new Cath Kidston beauty! (I took the picture with my make-up laid out on my Cath Kidston duvet cover...can you tell I'm a bit of a floral addict?!).

1. My Clinique eye shadow quad- my favourite out of these four is the pinky tone which can be darkened or lightened by the bottom two colours. I think less is definitely more with eye shadow.
2. Rimmel 'Glam Eyes' liquid eyeliner- I am a HUGE fan of liquid eyeliner as it is far more defined and longer-lasting than my kohl eye pencils. Depending on what I'm up do determines how much I apply and how big the flick is at the corner of my eyes!
3. 17 Pressed powder- This I apply on top of my foundation to give more of a 'matte' finish and evening it all out before I apply my blusher....
4. Natural Collection Blusher in 'Rosey Glow'- once this runs out I am planning on getting a more expensive one as this just about does the job of highlighting cheek bones but isn't great.
5. Clinique eye cream- on days when I'm feeling/looking a bit tired I just apply a few daps of this cream to under my eyes and instantly they perk up- it's an amazing product and great knowing I've got it for 'bad' days.
6. Cath Kidston blusher brush- this comes from my set of Cath Kidston make-up brushes and is just the right size to apply my blusher.
7. Collection 2000 kohl pencil- my simple kohl pencil if I'm going for the smoky eye look.
8. Rimmel Stay Matte foundation- I bought this at the beginning of the year and I was really let down and have been waiting for it to run out ever since, it doesn't really give a 'matte' look and nor does it cover the skin really well and tends to go a bit oily.
9. Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid foundation- this is my replacement for the Rimmel foundation as it is getting near to running out (hooray!) I actually tried blending them together and it turned out ok although I think that was probably because the Maybelline one is so good!
10. Rimmel 'ScandalEyes' mascara- my sister recently recommended this mascara to me and I haven't been disappointed, I don't have the longest eyelashes in the world unlike my boyfriend who has ridiculously long ones it is unfair! So I am constantly on the look out (along with the majority of the female population) of a good mascara. Even with just one coat of this my eyelashes look longer- I'm a happy customer.
11. No7 'Intense Volume' mascara- I tend to use this as a base coat for my Rimmel mascara and use this to highlight my lower eye-lid lashes as the other one has a huge brush and this is easier to reach tricky places.
12. Soap & Glory eyeshadow duo- one of my best friends gave me this for Christmas and I was really pleasantly surprised by the product, you apply the lighter colour all over the eye-lid and apply the darker one to just above the eyelashes- creating an easy to achieve smoky eye look!
13. Topshop 'Brighton Rock' lipstick- everyone knows how much I love this lipstick and it has become a staple product in my make-up routine.
14. Korres lip balm in 'Quince'- for days when my lips are very chapped and in need of some TLC this perks them up in both colour (it is a lovely deep pink colour) and nourishes them too.

So there we have it- my make-up contents revealed, I am really surprised by the huge variety of brands that I have ranging from Clinique to Collection 2000. I'm gradually learning what products work well and what don't. If you have done a similar make-up bag contents revealed post I would love to see, please leave a link    xxx

Tell me I'm your national anthem

Wow the notorious April showers are certainly sticking to tradition! I'm staying down in Devon this week with my grandparents, we went through a huge hail storm earlier! I seem to of resorted back to my winter wardrobe a little bit today by getting out my trusty cream knit jumper which is so warm. Also my sister curled my hair a little bit and this is how it came out- (excuse the bottom left one!!). I am loving my Topshop lipstick and wearing it literally every day now, you can see my review about it here.

To avoid the rain we went to the museum in Exeter today (Royal Albert Memorial Museum) which has recently re-opened, despite everyone having the same idea as us and taking their young screaming children along it was actually really good and with a wide variety of exhibitions. Being the classics nerd that I am my highlight was their art exhibition 'the road to Rome' which had some fabulous Italian paintings. 

We then went and had a nibble to eat in the Cathedral cafe (Exeter has a gorgeous cafe!), I've recently been carrying my camera around with me everywhere and I took these pictures-

I hope everyone had a lovely Bank Holiday Monday, what are you all finding to do with the weather being a bit shower-y? Also I thought I would share with everyone this picture, I love Lana Del Rey so found it hilarious when I saw this!! xxx

picture source: here

And the warmth rang true inside these bones

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have all got lots of Easter eggs, I'm amazed that despite being 19 people are still giving them to me (definitely not going to complain about that). Here is a little instagram snap of my eggs taken on my sisters iPad- the joys of being back home means I get a little go on it! 

On (Good) Friday we went on a little family outing to a nearby town- Woodbridge which has a lovely river and tide mill as well as a quaint high-street. We enjoyed a walk along the river, looking at everyone out in their sailing boats making the most of the weather. It was also really nice to see trees are starting to have blossom on them- I couldn't resist the photo opportunity! 

I went for quite a casual outfit (those of you that read my post on friday will have seen the top half in my 'make-up of the day' pic!). I wore my burgundy jeans from Miss Selfridge, Stripe top from Zara and my trusty denim jacket from Primark.

How is everyone spending their Easter Sunday? Sadly I've got to work the lunch-time shift at work but I intend on munching away on my Easter eggs as soon as I get back! xxx

A little bit of love- Blogger Appreciation Award

I was absolutely shocked to be awarded two awards in the space of two weeks. Rachel over at Treat Party awarded me yesterday with the Blogger Appreciation Award which I am absolutely thrilled by. It's pretty cool meeting someone that has the same first AND middle name as you (we are both Rachel Elizabeth's!!). Her blog is lovely so it's a real honour!


The rules of the award: 

- Thank the person who gave you the award by linking their blog in your post

- Answer the 4 questions

- Award the blogger appreciation award to new followers/ fellow bloggies as you like

The questions:

• How long have you been blogging?

 I started this blog in January this year on a complete whim with no idea of the lovely blogging community that were awaiting me!

• What are 1-2 reasons why you started blogging? 

I had no real idea about the blogging world and just wanted to give it a go and see where it would lead to and now I can't imagine not blogging! I love that it is your own piece of the huge internet!!

• What are the types of blogs that you visit and read?

I really enjoy reading fashion/lifestyle and beauty blogs as it's great to see what everyone else it wearing, what products they recommend, places that are worth visiting. I also enjoy seeing what people have baked/cooked/made. Anything with a little bit of inspiration and some impressive photography!

• What is 1 thing that you as a blogger would like to improve on?

I really want to get a better camera so I can do my outfits, products justice! However, I might have to wait a while due to being a skint student so for now I'm going to try and post more frequently.

Who am I awarding?

Shen at Shenmoo writes a lovely mix of interesting posts with a great collection of Instagram snaps!

Sophie writes Miss Sophie Olivia as a new follower I was inspired by her recent post about smear tests, something that people are so reluctant to talk about yet she tackled the issue brilliantly.

Rebecca at What Rebecca Said writes some great posts in a nice light-hearted manner.

Check these girls and their blogs out- I really recommend them! Thank you to everyone who reads my blog and leaves their lovely comments, I read every single one and they make me really happy! 

Whilst I'm doing a post I thought I would share with you my FOTD :) (I'm looking slightly tired after my epic journey back home on the train yesterday with my beast of a suitcase!) xxx

Lips: 'Brighton Rock'- Topshop//Stripe Top: Zara//Denim Jacket: Primark

A little Topshop treat

Having handed in my last essay of the term today, which is the last one I will write during my second year (scary how fast time is flying by) as well as a test this morning I treated myself to a haircut this afternoon and a little cheeky trip into Topshop. I don't know why sometimes when you go in literally everything you see you could quite happily buy and this was definitely the case this afternoon. Walking around feeling a little bit like Kate Middleton with my bouncy blow dried and newly cut hair I quickly ended up with a collection of clothes I wanted to try on. My definite favourite was this beauty of a playsuit:

It is so pretty (my rubbish Blackberry camera does not do it justice) and the loose fit at the top of the legs really does make it look like a dress. However at £48 I just could not quite justify it, maybe once I've been working at my local pub back home a bit over Easter I'll treat myself (if anyone wants to see it on their website just click here). However I didn't leave empty handed, I spent a long time at their make-up counter and finally chose one of their lipsticks in 'Brighton Rock', I'd seen that a few other bloggers have bought this shade and really like the pinky shade (normally I'm a red lippie girl). It is a nice creamy consistency and doesn't dry out my lips which others can tend to do.

Has anyone else had a rather weak moment in Topshop recently? I think their collection this season is really good and such a varied mix. Also who is everyone's hair inspiration at the moment? Kate Middleton seems to be sweeping the nation with her luscious locks- I'm very jealous!

Clinique and (Easter) chicks

Up until recently I was more than happy if a foundation had some SPF included in it although it was not my first priority. So when the lady at my Clinique counter told me their content was not enough to actually stop sun damage I was really surprised and realised that I probably should do something about it and actually buy a specific product....So being the excellent sales lady she was, the Clinique lady brought out this product- 'City Block Sheer'. Having combination skin I was slightly reluctant that a product containing an SPF of 25 would be really oily BUT this is oil free!! It comes out in a sort of foundation colour but once it is blended in it is completely clear and you still need to apply your usual make-up. 

With the weather becoming warmer and the sun's rays becoming hotter it is really reassuring to know that there is a base coat of protection guarding my face! I've now become a complete SPF addict, with age spots running in my family (*sighs*) I'm determined I won't get them!

Yesterday I went to my cousins 21st Birthday that she was celebrating with everyone in the family. The food was so yummy, hello prawns, filo tart, and salad (an amazing change from student food!). They also did an Easter egg hunt in the garden for all the cousins- one of our great family traditions. Her birthday cake had a Barbie in the top of a cake with a round cake as her dress (like we all had as children!) the sponge had white chocolate in! Below is a picture of me, my sister and my cousin in our outfits for the day! (Somehow we all managed to wear different colours!).

Do any of you use any specific face protector creams? And who is getting excited about Easter?! xx