What it means to be British

I have honestly been blown away by this weekend, despite the weather not being the best we Brits all still put on a marvelous show of celebrating with dear old Liz her Diamond Jubilee. Being a self-confessed monarchist I've loved every minute of the celebrations- the rather soggy flotilla down the Thames, the Jubilee concert (#giverobbrydon/garybarlowaknighthood) and a poignant memorial service this morning.

Every-where up the length and breadth of the country we have been enjoying what it truly means to be British- our love for street parties, BBQs, cake, tea and uniting (oh heck I'm getting all soppy!). Today we had some friends over for a little party and I thought I would share with you some pictures from the day!

 The house with our bunting up!

 Inside the party tent avoiding the rain

Royal themed Brownies (spot the Corgi!)

 Patriotic

Pimm's anyone?

Also was it just me or did anyone else get the hairs on the back of their necks stand up when Gary Barlow and the Commonwealth Band sang 'sing' seriously amazing moment.

How have you all been spending the Jubilee? xxx

My week....

Hi everyone, hope you are all enjoying the bank holiday weekend and fingers crossed the weather hasn't ruined your plans too much! It's been a funny old week for me- working at the beginning of it and then coming back to uni on Wednesday.

As all of my friends had finally finished their exams I decided to head back to Canterbury to celebrate with everyone the end of our second year before we all head back to our homes all over the country. I also came back to pack up my room and tidy the house I've been renting with my friends Alice & Tom, we were e-mailed a 6 page list of what required cleaning!!! It's definitely safe to say I am sick of the smell of cleaning products! Has anyone else had to do such a deep-clean for their house?! My stuff has finally all been packed and is waiting in a large heap for my Dad to come and pick me up tomorrow. It's really sad to think I'm not going to be here for almost 3 months!

Anyway, here are a few snaps of my week-

1) Left pic- This is my friend Zoe and I before we headed out on Wednesday night (and the return of my favorite denim shorts!)

2) Top right pic- On my way back to Canterbury on Wednesday I was passing through Stratford Westfield going past the Samsung shop when I saw loads of people in one corner of the shop so being the nosy parker I am I went in to see what they were all doing...and then who should walk out to advertise the launch of the new Samsung phone but PIXIE LOTT.... I was completely amazed and quickly got my phone out to take a picture of her (she looked even more gorgeous in real life, the pic doesn't do her justice) also her boyfriend Oliver Cheshire (model and complete hottie) was peeking out from behind the scenes! Very surreal moment for a wednesday afternoon, my boyfriend was very jealous when I told him I'd seen Pixie!

3) Bottom right pic- Sadly I didn't make these beauties but I couldn't resist showing them to you all, aren't they so cute?! I saw them on a website called Baking Mad who had lots of different cake ideas for the jubilee weekend. I am loving the patriotic atmosphere in England at the moment and Union Jacks appearing on everything, sadly I missed a Jubilee Street Party in my village yesterday but apparently it was really good. How are you all spending the Jubilee?

Anyway that's it from me for now, and I just wanted to share with you all this awesome track 'No Hope' that has been released from the Vaccines new album 'The Vaccines come of age'- I can't wait for it to come out!

"These fishes in the sea they're staring at me oh"

Body (Top) and shorts- H&M// Shoes and sunglasses- Topshop// Bag- Accessorize// Nobbly knees- Models own!

Two posts from me in the space of two days?! This definitely doesn't normally happen so I hope I haven't sent you all into a state of shock!

Not a particularly ground-breaking outfit in the fashion world but the nonetheless one I really enjoy wearing and feel really comfortable- can you ever own too many stripey tops?! (I'm hoping it's not just me that seems to be a stripe top fiend) Is there anything that you seem to own lots of a similar item?

Today I finally got to see my best-friend Evie who I hadn't been able to see for ages so it was fantastic to get a whole day together! We wanted to make the most of the sunshine so went to a little village called Orford that has it's own castle and cute quayside which we had a wander around before heading onto Woodbridge a nearby town that has plenty going on a lovely river.We had lunch in a lovely little cafe right by the river's edge and had the most gorgeous prawns and salad- perfect food for the weather. 

I took several pictures over the day so decided to collate them all-together for a little sneaky-peek into our day. In the top pic on the left is Orford Castle, next to that is me enjoying an ice-cream in Woodbridge. Me again in Orford on a cannon on the bottom left and the gorgeous Evie in Orford. It was such a good day with the perfect mix of sights to see, lovely food and glorious weather- a very good sunday!

What has everyone else been doing to enjoy the weather? xxx

Summer evening outfits and a splash of the seaside

Top row: Me in my new blouse- Primark, shorts- Primark (Classy!) and me in the car

Bottom row: Boat on the beach at Aldeburgh and my sister in the dress I bought last week- Primark!

Oh the joys of having at field (or two) at the end of your garden! My sister and I quickly nipped there yesterday to take a couple of pictures before we went out for dinner with the rest of the family in Aldeburgh a really nice nearby seaside town.

This post definitely gives the impression of my sister and I being Primark addicts but it was purely the combination of my finds last week (which you can see in my vlog) and what we felt like wearing! Also how different do my sister and I look?! She is the only blonde in the family!

I teamed my new pink blouse with my old floral shorts creating a very girlie look, finished off nicely with my hair up in an up-do and a flower clip!

Despite the lovely heat at the moment once we got to Aldeburgh due to it being an easterly wind it was pretty chilly and none of my pictures came out great apart from this one of the boat! Also I threw in a random picture of me in the car on the way as I like the blurred background, absolutely love my sunglasses from Topshop. I bought them last summer but I reckon they can happily see me through this year!

How has everyone been making the most of the weather? xx

My first ever vlog!

Hi everyone, something a little bit different from me today.....recently I have really gotten into watching vlogs, I really like them because you can see an extra side to someone's personality and you aren't so restricted as you are with pictures. So after recording this video this morning then watching it back in horror at myself (why is hearing yourself on video so cringey?!) I decided to share it with you all, see what you think and let me know if it's something you would like me to do a little bit more.

I'm basically waffling on about my favourite things at the moment, I'll warn you all now I seem to say 'annnnd' a lot, hope I don't say it quite as normally when I'm not being recorded. I would love to know what you all think! xx

The luster of your bones, those arms that held you strong

Dress: H+M// Jacket: Primark// Shoes: New Look

This is definitely one of my favourite outfits at the moment (apologies for my hair looking a slightly odd shade in the picture-I'll blame the setting sun!) as the dress is lovely and light but as it's sleeveless I'm teaming it with cardigans and my good old denim jacket for now until summer arrives. The dress came with a belt made from the same material as the dress but I've swapped it for one of my brown ones as I prefer the contrast and it breaks the pattern up a tad.

It's nice to be back home and enjoying the luxuries of things such as baths and a bottom-less fridge! Yesterday I went shopping with my Mum and was amazed by the current clothes in Primark, I bought a LOT, most of my purchases were blouses and dresses- SUCH a girl! Anyone else impressed with Primark at the moment? I'm thinking of doing a haul type post (which I've never done before) to show you all!

I was also on the look out for a replacement for my Clinique 3-Step products which have nearly run out, as much as I love their products I thought that there is no harm in trying other alternatives now that I have got myself into a stricter face-care routine. After spending a very long time in Boots I ended up leaving with these 3 products- 

I bought the Boots' own range anti-redness serum as my skin has the annoying habit of reacting to certain products. This is meant to "instantly calm irritable red and sensitive skin, which used daily will help improve your skin's protective barrier and leave it feeling soft smooth and comfortable" and the verdict? So far so good! For around £5 (sorry I've lost the receipt and can't remember the exact cost) I thought it's definitely worth a go.

The 2 Simple products were their 'Pore Minimising Toning Cleanser' which is somewhere in-between a liquid and a gel. It's meant to basically treat my skin to the vitamins and nutrients it needs but with gentle ingredients (plus it has a lovely soothing smell). The other is a facial scrub and named their 'Clear skin oil balancing facial scrub' which like the cleanser is packed with vitamins but also contains Witch Hazel a natural anti-bacterial to stop pesky break-outs! I bought the whole lot for £10 as Boots were offering 3 for 2 across face care products. 

Do any of you use 'Simple' products? Hope you are all having a lovely weekend xxx

Birthday Wishlist

I often think that there are two types of people in the world- those that make lists and those that don't! I am definitely in the list-making half as they often help me feel more organised. With my 20th birthday next month and exams over I reckoned it was the perfect excuse to start thinking about what I would like to get for my birthday (or dream of getting for some of the items)!

1) Biba purse this is stocked at House of Fraser for £69, as much as I love my current Cath Kidston one it has become a little tired looking and I'm after something a little more sophisticated.
2)Keratase- Cristaliste shampoo and conditioner. Being a huge fan of Kate Middleton (still feels strange referring to her as the Duchess of Cambridge) and her amazing hair when I found out she uses Keratase to look after her luscious locks I instantly decided I wanted to give their products a go. Their Cristaliste range is meant to give long hair a gorgeous shine.
3) Topshop blusher in 'Flush' for £6 I think this is quite a bargain as the quality of Topshop make-up is really quite decent.
4) American Apparel  Galaxy Glitter nail polish £9. I love the gorgeous large chunks of glitter in this polish and think it would give a really nice overall finish.
5) Benefit- Porefessional primer £23.50. I've heard lots of good things about this pore-reducing primer so despite it's rather steep price tag it's meant to be worth it and I really should own a primer by now!
6) Urban Decay- 'Naked 2' Palette I feel like the last girl in blogger world to own this...so many different gorgeous shades to choose from that apparently blend together superbly and definitely warrant the £36 price tag.
7) Urban Outfitters shorts £35. As if I need any more shorts! But these really are so cute and I love how they have styled it with a cropped denim shirt.
8) Boutique at Topshop £48, this is a little on the expensive side for a poor student like myself to afford- hence why it's on my birthday list! My knitted jumper collection definitely has a white and blue striped pattern hole in it and I reckon this would be a really versatile piece.
9) Gilly Hicks undies £7 for one or £25 for five! If you haven't heard about the recent Gilly Hicks mania you must have been living under a rock!! Last week Gilly Hicks opened their new stores in Bluewater, Kingston and much to my delight at Westfield Stratford. Their underwear is so gorgeous!
10) Dune loafers £85. After finally saying a sad farewell to my long enduring brogues this week I was instantly online looking for a replacement and was seriously unimpressed by the likes of Topshop and River Island's offering. These beauties are by Dune and hopefully at £85 they are of a good quality (definitely a brown leather theme going on here with these and the Biba purse!).

So there you have it my rather ambitious birthday wishlist! Are any of you fellow list makers? Do you have any other good recommendations of what I could ask for? xxx