Goodbye 2012...

I honestly cannot believe we are about to start 2013, it sounds very futuristic to me... 2012 has been an amazing year with so many amazing things happening during it and I've loved it. This little blog is about to turn 1 and I am overwhelmed by how lovely the blogging community is- thank you to each and every reader, new or old for stopping by and reading my waffle!! What better way to reflect on my year than to see some of my favourite outfits I wore and snapped to show you all:

I'm ending 2012 feeling incredibly grateful for everything and everyone I have in my life (corny but oh so true) and hoping 2013 will be kind to me...It is certainly going to be a big one- I'll be turning 21, graduating from uni, hopefully starting a job and moving on into the big wide world whilst also keeping up this little corner of the internet !!!

I hope 2013 brings you all lots of love and happiness and I'll sign off now with this very wise quote on my bookmark I was given for Christmas:

"Take pride in how far you have come and have faith in how far you can go"

xxx

"The most wonderful time of the year"

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas and you aren't still feeling too full from all the turkey and chocolates we've all been consuming. It was lovely having a quick flick through instagram on Christmas Day and seeing how others were spending the day/ what you were receiving (you can follow me through this link).

It was such a lovely day- I spent mine with my parents, sister and my grandparents at their house. This was my outfit of the day (excuse the shabby quality- I snapped this just before we were about to leave for my grandparents house in a rush!):

Cardigan: Hollister

Blouse: Primark

Skirt: H+M

Tights: Next

Shoes: Primark

 I snapped some of my favourite presents this morning to show you:

*Jamie's 15 Minute Meals*

*Harrods biscuits*

*Hair curling wand by Remington*

*Chloe- Eau De Parfum*

*Jack Wills Jeans*

*Lots of books!*

*Next, New Look and Topshop vouchers*

Arguably the most exciting present of all though isn't in this picture because it would be a bit tricky to snap- my boyfriend is taking me for afternoon tea at THE RITZ... (squeaking with excitement) which is such a cool present :) we are going in a couple of weeks- so excited!

Do leave a link to any posts you have done of what you did for Christmas/ what you got- I'd love to see them.

What I listened to in 2012....

I can't believe this year is nearly over- it went far too fast for my liking! BUT it has been a darn good year for music and I thought I'd share with you my highlights of what I've listened to this year- it is a pretty eclectic (or just a random) mix!

Lucy Rose

You might recognize this babe from the backing of a few Bombay Bicycle Club tracks like 'Shuffle' and 'Lights Out, Words Gone'. She has such a nice voice, her album 'Like I used to' is really good- nice background music. This song 'Bikes' sees Lucy as a hardcore biker- amazingly she pulls it off!

Jessie Ware

Another super cool chick, I first heard Jessie by chance on Spotify with '110%' and loved it. This is another belter of hers- 'Wildest Moments' If I had to sum her up I'd say she is a mix between Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Rey...I think :s

Dead Man's Bones

Despite their slightly odd band name it was a very happy day indeed when I found out earlier in the year that Ryan Gosling (yes THE Ryan Gosling the dashingly handsome man of 'The Notebook' and 'Crazy, Stupid Love') was in a band!! Ok so their last album was in 2009 and its slightly Halloween-esque type music but still its good music.

The Vaccines

These guys were definitely my favourite band of 2011 and with their second album released earlier in the year they definitely did not disappoint! Think I'll always like them and have a special place for them in any playlist.

Ben Howard

This man is a god! There isn't a mood that his songs can't suit and he is such a talented cutie too (oh no I'm sounding like a stalker fan!). Would love to see him live in 2013!

Also a band I predict BIG things for next year are the super cool sister group 'Haim' so far they have only released an EP but I've definitely liked what I've heard.

What do you think of my music highlights? I'd love to know what yours have been :)

xxx 

Insta-Christmas

My good intentions at the beginning of the month towards plenty of posts I'm afraid didn't materialize (bad blogger!), I always forget how sociable and busy December is! I've created this little post to show some of my recent Instagram snaps. 

(1) Our tree is FINALLY up at home, my family gave the goold old excuse of "we were waiting for you to get back from uni before we got it out". We've changed where we have put it this year. (2) This is Bill- my friend Evie's gorgeous dog, he is such a sweetic (and a poser too!). (3) Talking of posers this is my FOTN before my last night out of the term at uni to a 'Greggs' night- basically free Greggs food handed out whilst your drinking/dancing!

(4) Spreading festive cheer yesterday with Evie in our Christmas jumpers, and stuffing our faces with her delicious home-made sausage rolls and mince pies. (5) My Dad's Reindeer cupcake, he's given me the recipe, would anyone be interested in me doing a baking post of them? (6) I decorated the banisters at my uni house with fairy lights- instantly Christmassy!

How are you all spending your Tuesday? I spent this morning wrapping presents with the added 'help' of my cat Ted who just tried to eat the wrapping paper!

Do follow me on Instagram (Racheleprior)

xxx

Crucial attire for any girl from/visting/or near the countryside

It suddenly occurred to me that despite my countryside upbringing and spending my time away from uni surrounded by fields and farms that I hadn't shared with you all a crucial part of my wardrobe when I'm home- my wellies!! These are from Joules about 3 years ago and I still love them- it's print of mini labradors is gorgeous (having one myself I guess makes me biased) and has a dark green background. I team my wellies with these fluffy socks which are also from Joules, think having a fleecy blanket but round your tootises! 

Joules is definitely a popular brand out in the countryside- with two of their shops only about 30 minutes away they are pretty accessible. I've collated together a few pieces in-case anyone is in need of some wellies or these gorgeous fox and deer print jumpers. I've got my eye on this waxed cotton jacket which would be perfect for this super chilly weather. Their womens coats are all really nice!

Crucial attire for a girl from the countryside 

"My little one, my kettle drum"

Jumper: H+M

Playsuit (worn underneath) and Shoes: Primark

It's officially the beginning of the festive season- my advent calendar has been started, the Christmas songs have been on all day and its only 24 days until Christmas Day!!! (not that I'm counting down or anything). I've popped back home for the weekend for an early Christmas get-together with my extended family- cousins, uncles, aunties, grandparents. It's something we do every year and take it in turns to host. We went out for a yummy turkey roast with ALL the trimmings (I now can't move). This is what I wore for it, my trusty pink jumper (hopefully you aren't all sick of the sight of it by now, I promise I own more than one!) and this playsuit with the embellished collar which you can see closer up below, I'm not sure why one side of my hair looks a different colour to the other!!

With just two weeks left of term at Uni and all of my essays for the term done I'm looking forward to decorating the house this week- any bare surface will be covered in tinsel, paperchains or fairy lights! And baking mince pies to my hearts content. Currently writing this whilst listening to my favourite christmas songs, I think my all time favourite has got to be between these 3:

1. The Pogues- Fairytale of New York
2. Shakin' Stevens- Merry Christmas Everyone (cringy but a classic!)
3. Mariah Carey- All I Want For Christmas Is You (don't hate)

Comment below with what your favourite is from these or any others- want to see if there is an overall winner! Watch out for another post coming tomorrow.

"If this is love, then love is easy"

Jumper: Woolovers

Scarf: Vintage

Jeans: Miss Selfridge

Pumps: Primark

Incessant rain forced this photo of my outfit of the day to be taken indoors- lack of sunshine and lots of rain makes it look a bit gloomy! Now we are in late November I thought it would be the perfect time to share with you all my staple winter jumper- this cream cable knit woolly jumper I got last Christmas. I saw it when I was browsing through my Gran's mail order catalogue from the company 'Woolovers' (crazy word pun fun: wool-lovers or wool-overs?! You decide!) and decided this was far too cosy looking to ignore. So thats the back-story to this jumper. I teamed it with my burgundy jeans, my vintage scarf and pumps.

Spent this morning cosied up in Starbucks avoiding the rain and other soggy shoppers. The Canterbury Starbucks is right next to the cathedral and hosts some cosy corners. Reiss and I nabbed one of the best tables which looks out to the Cathedral. So happy to see the return of the red cups in there marking the beginning of the festive season. We actually get to graduate in the cathedral next summer so thats pretty exciting- it is stunning inside!

 Canterbury Cathedral looking a bit ominous

How have you spent your Saturday? Do you have a go-to winter jumper for rainy days like this?

My dream Christmas party outfit

Apologies for my lack of blogging over the past few weeks. Uni work has just had to take priority. I thought I would begin my return with a dream Christmas party wishlist I've collated. I've absolutely fallen head over heels in love with this dress by Miss Selfridge isn't it gorgeous.

The main inspiration for the outfit came from this Cinderela B 'Bea Bee Bracelet' which is a bargain at £20 I chose it in the gold plated version as the other items I chose fitted in with the colour scheme a bit more. They also do a necklace version of the bee too. Having the nails and heels (ASOS) matching with a rich burgundy I chose to keep the other colours more understated! I've got the Chloe fragrance on my Christmas list.

What do you think of my dream outfit for the Christmas party season? I reckon this teamed with a leather jacket would look brilliant! I've got a few posts lined up for the next week so keep your eyes out.

Miss Selfridge prom dress
missselfridge.com

ASOS platform heels
asos.com

ASOS
asos.com

Chloé fragrance
$63 - harveynichols.com

Ciate beauty product
nordstrom.com

'And that eureka moment hits you like a cop-car'

Blogging for me is definitely something I do to relax and enjoy the sociability of it- however, life seems to of gotten in the way a bit recently and as I'm in my third and final year at uni that has taken my main focus. Saying that though I have been back in the countryside for part of this week as it's my reading week and have been enjoying home comforts and seeing all of my family. Rather than an outfit post (I promise I'll be doing them again soon) I've got just enough time before I need to get back to essay writing to share with you an Instagram style post to show you what I've been up to!

Top Row

001: Found these gorgeous slipper pumps in Primark yesterday- only £6! Bargain, saving these for when I don't have to worry about getting them muddy.

002: My sister Alice and I with our pumpkin we carved out- friendly pumpkins are much nicer than the scary ones, we named this one Pete!

003: A very sleepy cat of mine- Ted. He's very cheeky and I took this on Halloween, we think he must have been out trick or treating.

Bottom Row

004: Alice and I again- before we went to a friends firework display last night

005: Pete Pumpkin again- this time in all his glory with the lights out, we didn't want to put him outside so he went on the fireplace!

006: Cheeky procrastination of painting my nails with Topshops' 'Tidal' and then 'Ice Crush' on alternate nails.

Did anyone else make a friendly pumpkin like me? 

Let me know if you like this style of post and I'll endeavour to do more like it. I am loving this song by 'Everything Everything'- I saw them live a few summers ago and they were fab!

'Just what I've never wanted!' Present buying nightmares solved!

A slightly different post from me today! For most of us buying presents for other people can be a bit of a headache- you had thought of something awesome that they really needed a few months back but now Christmas is getting closer you can't for the life of you remember what it was and your amazing 'subtle' ways of trying to find out what they would like are getting no-where.....

I think this nightmare of buying presents is about a thousand times worse for guys- present buying seems to make them crumble at the knees and often they will just resort to the good old gift-card (not romantic OR thoughtful boys!). This is where Ask Her Friends.com come in- they get your boyfriend, partner, brother, uncle etc to put in a few bits of information about you and it cleverly suggests things in their budget that women will like!

First step- who is the present for? They choose if you are their wife etc etc and then move on to what your price range is- this is so flexible and ranges from below £10 to over £250 so there really is no excuse! At this point they can choose if that is all they know about you and can let the website do the rest.........BUT if you know more about the special lady your looking for you can answer four further questions including what style of outfits she wears and what her perfect free Saturday would consist of.

So I decided to test the website and got my boyfriend to put in information about myself to the questions it was asking him to see if it would come up with presents that I would like and reflect my interests- the verdict?

Not bad at all! Here are three of the twelve suggestions it came up for me:

What I like about the suggestions is that they are often different to a 'typical' present, I think the cupcake decorating and chocolate martini taster day is such a good idea. Plus if your man thinks an item they have suggested is definitely not going to suit you they can remove it from the list and another shows up, if he instantly thinks it's the perfect present for you then he can go straight to the shop/website it then directs them to. OR if there are a few your man thinks would suit you he can add them to an 'advice list'- a sort of shortlist which he then (and here comes the technological tricky part) adds your friends to ask for their help and they know you the best.....friends can be asked in five different ways:

1. He shares the advice list using Facebook
2. He can get advice from his Twitter followers
3. She can add her friends for herself
4. He can send out a link himself
5. Or he simply inputs her friends e-mail addresses and Ask Her Friends.com send out an e-mail on your behalf.

Then they simply have to wait for the friends advice to come in (or he decides for himself).

I really recommend you have a look at Ask Her Friends.com, test it for yourself and pass it on to your significant others as I think this is a brilliant (and accurate) creation just in time for the festive season!

"It's just the bones I'm made of" Twist on the Trend #3

Jacket: TK Maxx

Jumper: H+M

Blouse: Topshop

Shorts: H+M

Boots: Next

This is the latest Twist on the Trend, and for those of you who haven't read one of these posts before some other bloggers and I take on a different trend every two weeks and style it our own ways- an interesting way to see how we all make our own twist on trends. This time we had the leather trend to style. Here's how we all styled the trend:

Top row: Bree from The Urban Umbrella, Me! Emily from The Tale of Two Buttons

Bottom row: Paloma and Jess from Cos It's The Bee's Knees

Be sure to go on the other girls' blogs to hear them talking about their own outfits and how they styled the trend. What do you think of my outfit? I'm normally found on the safer side of fashion but this jacket is just the right amount to 'rock' my look up a bit but softened by my favourite jumper with a cheeky collar poking out underneath. I've also got my eye on a few leather skater skirts....

How would you style the leather trend? 

October Loves...

01) The mustard knit and the gorgeous cable pattern makes this jumper pretty irresistible.  I'm sure my wardrobe could make some room to fit it in....! This could be teamed with jeans, shorts, dresses and would be perfect for cosy nights in front of the T.V. With a pretty hefty price tag of £89.50 from Jack Wills  it will be probably staying as just me lusting over it but it might make a sneaky appearance over on my Christmas list. But a girl can dream....

02) Urban Outfitters have such an amazing home collection offering quirky AND cute, this Scrabble-esque cushion is really cute and could work either on the sofa or on my bed! 

03) Another Jack Wills pick (can you tell I'm impressed by their collection for this season?!) this playsuit is somewhere in-between smart and casual, bit of a statement yet not as out there as co-ordinating outfits which I definitely don't have the confidence to wear. Isn't the print pretty? Once again this is priced at £89.50 (magic price going on there I think) BUT it is really nice!

04) Old ladyish? Yes. Impractical? Yes. Not really sure why I like these 'slippers' by Topshop so much but I do. Super cute and love the texturing pattern.

05) Another Topshop pick, these tapestry shorts are really nice and make me think if William Morris had done a collection for Topshop- this is what they would look like! Teamed with a pair of knitted tights, brogues and a cosy jumper this would make a dream outfit....only bummer is they are out of stock!

06) As a fan of all things glittery/sparkly this Models Own nail polish in 'Freak Out' as part of the Mirrorball collection ticks all the right boxes. Think of it as an autumn/winter version of American Apparel's galaxy one!

What do you think of my picks? What's on your wishlist for the month?

I'm back to full-time loving Ben Howard again, listen to this one called 'Bones' is amazing (tissues at the ready though)

"Precious and warm, a memory through the years"

Denim shirt and dress: H+M

Leggings: Topshop

Belt and scarf: Primark

Boots: River Island

Bag: Urban Outfitters

Evening all! What a lovely weekend I've had- my family came down to visit me yesterday which was really nice. I opted for this casual layered number that is so comfy! We went to the nearby seaside town Whitstable for a walk along the sea-front and a spot of fish and chips for lunch. As you can see there was barely a cloud in the sky!

My sister on Whitstable beach

After lunch we popped back in the car to Canterbury and enjoyed a spot of shopping before ending up in my favourite cafe- Tiny Tim's Tearooms which is decorated beautifully (which you can see by clicking here) and they sell the most AMAZING cakes and cream teas, I ambitiously had two! It was nice to enjoy the city and the shops from a tourists perspective rather than a poor student popping in for the essentials.

 Alice with the grand entrance to Canterbury Cathedral behind her

Essie: Pink Diamond

After hearing such good things about the nail polish brand Essie and it's availability increasing due to now being stocked in most Boots and Superdrugs I was slightly worried that if I bought it with such high hopes that it wouldn't live up to the hype. 

Yesterday evening there was a student shopping night in Canterbury where all students had to do was show their student card and could get a variety of discounts in shops that don't normally offer it OR they were offering more discount than normal.  With the likes of H+M, River Island and Topshop tempting students with 20% off EVERYTHING you can imagine how busy it was! As soon as I saw that Boots were offering 10% off I knew I had to go in to spend a lot of money and have a look around. After spending a very long time at the Essie stand I eventually chose 'Pink Diamond' as I was drawn to it's delicate shade and the slight shimmer it has. With most of my shades I already own being deeper pinks/reds I knew this would get used and I could team it with my Holy Grail of nail varnishes- the glittery Topshop nail varnish in 'Ice Crush' (see post here) to make it even more girly. 

I think this is the perfect shade for not wanting to have bare nails but also not wanting to be too 'out there' with a bold colour, especially if your already wearing statement colours on your outfit! 

source: here

So was I impressed or disappointed with the quality? I can gladly say this has an amazing consistency, slightly more liquidy than other brands, but not in a bad way. It's really nice to see the colour becoming stronger as you apply more layers, I found 3 was the perfect amount!

What is your favourite Essie shade? I think I'm going to have to start collecting!

Twist on the Trend: Band T-shirts

The Twist on the Trend team are back! For this one I was lucky enough to suggest the trend: band t-shirts, something a lot of us have in our clothes collection yet wear in all different ways so I thought it would be an interesting one to see how we all style our own.

Top Row: Me, Jane from The Tale of Two Buttons, Jess from Cos' It's the Bee's Knees

Bottom Row: Paloma from Cos It's the Bee's Knees and Lizzie from The Dust on the Ground

So interesting to see how the girls have styled theirs, be sure to check out their blogs for their own feature of this trend where they will tell you a little bit more about their outfit. In exciting news we've also finalised our up-coming themes too so you'll be seeing them very soon. Now for a little bit more on my outfit....

The Vaccines T-shirt: Band Merch website

Cardigan: New Look

Skirt: Pull & Bear

Boots: River Island

As a huge fan of The Vaccines I just had to have one of their t-shirts- I got this last Christmas and absolutely love it. It actually featured in my first EVER outfit post on my blog which you can see here (had no idea how much my hair had grown). This is a pretty versatile outfit, casual enough to wear up to Uni but also can be snazzed up for a meal out.

Apologies for being away from the blogging scene for a while, life seemed to get in the way and the reality of being a 3rd year uni student is setting in. Highlights from last week though included my boyfriend's 21st Birthday, lectures and seminars starting and a yummy meal out to Pizza Express with my friends.

Shall leave you all until next time with The Vaccines themselves!

"Cover your eyes so you don't know the secret"

My hair is naturally pretty straight with a gentle wave if I don't blow dry it and I'm not particularly adventurous with it. So when one of my besties- Olivia offered to curl it for me before our night out yesterday I was pretty excited. With it being our last ever Fresher's Week (sob sob) it seemed the perfect opportunity. It took her a LONG time and I'm now convinced she must have the patience of a saint as there is so much of my hair.

 I felt so glamourous having my hair so BIG. As we were hitting the town I teamed my curls with this new playsuit from Primark which has a gorgeous cream coloured top panel with an embellished collar, cinched in at the waist with a slim belt and my trusty New Look heels- not bad for a highstreet outfit!

What do you think of the new hair 'do? Is it worth me investing in some curling tongs and can anyone suggest any good ones?

Twist On The Trend

This is a bit of a different post to usual but something I'm really excited about. Earlier in the week Jess and Paloma from 'Cos it's the Bee's Knees contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being a part of a new blogger group in which we would each do our own take on a current trend and showcase them all together collectively on all of our blogs. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and the girls quickly told me that the first trend for me to do my take on would be 'berry shades' which cover burgundy, red. purple, pink and everything in-between.

The 'Twist On The Trend' group:

Top Row: Lizzie from The Dust on The Ground, Yours truly, Jane from The Tale of Two Buttons and Emily from The Tale of Two Buttons

BERRY SHADES

Bottom Row: Paloma from 'Cos it's the Bee's Knees, Jess from 'Cos it's the Bee's Knees and Bree from The Urban Umbrella

Doesn't everyone look fab! It's really inspirational to see everyone wearing all different items that fit into the berry shades trend to suit all different levels of how smart/casual you want to be. This is going to be a fortnightly feature on all of our blogs so stay tuned to see more twists, it's also a really good opportunity to discover new bloggers that you wouldn't have found otherwise.

So, onto my outfit, I decided to use my trusty burgundy jeans from Miss Selfridge for this trend, they are really versatile. This H+M shirt is lovely and silky and contrasts with the deeper berry shade of the jeans quite well, It's always important to style your accessories/make-up around a trend too, so I painted my nails with my favourite shade for Autumn and a spot of Korres lip butter which is a lovely deep pink.

Blouse: H+M

Jeans: Miss Selfridge

Watch: ASOS

Nails: Nails inc in 'Piccadilly Circus'

Lips: Korres Lip Butter in 'Quince'

Hope you have enjoyed the first Twist On The Trend feature, be sure to check out these lovely ladies' blogs!

"Do you know where the wild things go?"

Sweater: H+M

Blouse: Primark

Jeans: ASOS

Loafers: Topshop

It's been a busy old week my end, moving into my new student house and getting unpacked + settled. Of course there has been time for a spot of shopping though, picked up this fluffy pink sweater yesterday in H+M, it's 40% angora so seriously soft and snuggly- ready for winter. Couldn't resist the peachy/salmon shade- hopefully will add a bit of colour to my winter wardrobe.The antics of my last freshers week begin tomorrow before it's time to get stuck into my dissertation (10,000 words eeek!). Anyone else excited about Strictly starting tomorrow?!

Got my eyes on a few new make-up bits so stay tuned over the weekend for a beauty haul!

Love this song by Alt J- slightly disturbing video though! My money is on them winning the Mercury Prize....

"Driving from the backseat, holding on too tightly"

Jeans: Miss Selfridge

Top: H+M

Beanie: Republic

Espadrilles: French Supermarket!

Bag: Urban Outfitters

Back to normality today! I'm actually getting quite excited about Autumn arriving so got out my favourite beanie to add a little something to one of my 'go-to' outfits. Can't go wrong with a stripe top! Wearing this today for going to do a spot of shopping and starting to pack my things up ready for moving back to Uni at Canterbury on Tuesday for my third and final year (how quickly did the summer go?!) also eagerly awaiting my new timetable to be released on Monday *please no 9am starts* Would any of you like me to do a post on anything Uni related? I've got my last couple of shifts at work over the weekend.

Love this song SO much by Lucy Rose! Her album is coming out on the 24th- really excited.....

France Part 2: The Places

This is the second and final part I'm doing about my holiday in France which I got back from last week. It was such a pretty area we stayed in- The Aveyron region? Anyone know it?

The pictures do most of the talking and felt the scenery deserved it's own post away from the outfits which you can see by clicking here or scrolling down to the post below.

These two above were taken at Cordes Sur Ciel - a really pretty typical French village which is built on a hill and the streets are all cobbled and the houses are a gorgeous sandstone. Such a nice place!

I took these two at the Chateau in the village where we stayed- Bournazel. It's currently in the process of being restored to it's former glory but it was still gorgeous and it's character shined through!

Off course no visit to France is complete without visiting one of their traditional markets which definitely put ours to shame. We visited this one which is held weekly in Villefranche De Rouergue in the central sqaure- so lovely to wander around and look at all the amazing fresh fruit and vegetables.

Najac- another hilly village with a spectacular Chateau!

The gorgeous houses in Bournazel- aren't the blue shutters lovely!

Hope you have all enjoyed these few pics! More posts coming this week :)