New Years House Party

 

For what seems like the first time in forever I am actually doing something on New Years Eve. Me and my friends decided to keep it casual and have a house party which I have been nominated to host. As I know most New Years outfit posts are inspiration for an amazing party or some kind of work do but I decided to do a more casual look for the people who don't get up to as much on New Years. For the people like me who don't do anything apart from consuming too many crisps or nibbles and attempting to sing along with Old Lang Syne as we all know no one really knows the words.

 

As this is going to be casual I decided to wear my cream and lace jumper from Zara which is probably the softest thing I own. The colour is so crisp even though it isn't white which is something I struggle to find in cream pieces. I paired it with my cigarette trousers from Topshop which are the perfect length when paired with some pointed suede court shoes, mine are from New Look.

 

Then I had great difficulty deciding on which bag to wear and eventually decided to wear this black box clutch to add some sparkle, if you can wear sparkle at one point in the year its New Years. I got this beauty at the Next sale which I seem to go to every year after saying "oh I probably wont buy anything" and step out with some serious damage done to my credit card. As I wont be outside long I just wore my leather jacket to add a different texture and add more of a coveted edgy vibe to the look as I don't want to go too Carrie Bradshaw.

 

I hope everyone has a great NYE and has a good start to the very futuristic sounding 2015! feel free to leave a comment below about your plans for new years.

 

Emily x

 

 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit

I know that this isn't exactly a festive post but I decided it was time to share this little beauty with everyone. Recently Sephora lured me in with a good old fashioned discount code causing me to splurge on this baby. I have heard so many people rave about this all in one product I just had to see what all the hype was about.I heard that Sephora now ship to the UK a while back and decided that now was the time to test their site.

 Everyone as been after a more contoured look ever since the Kardashians appeared, showing us their beautifully chiselled cheek bones and in that moment the world jumped on the contour bandwagon. Being a person of the dreaded pale skin I was always fearful of trying to contour. I used to use (and still do use) The Body Shops Honey Bronzer which is absolutely perfect for us pasty people but thought it was time to switch it up a bit.

This kit is from the makers of the ultimate holy grail product, the Anastasia Brow Wiz so it had to be worth a try. The kit comes with three highlighting shades, one neutral colour, a banana correcting shade and a more shimmery highlight. The banana shade is perfect for sweeping in a triangle formation over the under eyes, making the area brighter and faking a perfect nights sleep. The shimmery shade is great for putting on the cheekbones and higher sections of your face to highlight the areas of your face that you want to be seen. The neutral shade is great for helping to blend out mistakes or just correct and highlight an area.

The contour section comes in 3 different shades. I use the middle shade mixed with a little bit of  it the second darkest one to get the correct balance for my skin. Don't be afraid to mix with these as they are super bendable and perfect for mixing together in order to find your shade.

Overall I think this is a perfect investment product and it saves the fuss of having to carry multiple palettes instead of just one. If you want to buy this palette last time I checked they had them on Cult Beauty and Sephora's websites but they are going in and out of stock a lot.

If you liked this post or want to have your say about this pallet feel free to leave a comment below.

Emily x

Camel

Coat - Missguided

Shirt - Zara

Jeans - Topshop

Scarf - Primark

Boots - Boohoo

Hat - Urban Outfitters

Bag - Kate Spade New York

 

Sorry that I've been M.I.A from the blog recently but I've had exams on and my body decided that it was going to get really ill all at the same time. Never fear as I have made my return. A little while ago I bought this camel coloured beauty from misguided as the camel trend was definitely something that I really wanted to be a part of. It was time I got a winter coat for this year and this one definitely does the job. It has really deep pockets and a boyish/box shape which means that its really flattering and keeps in warmth. I went to a gig on Wednesday to try it out as in my opinion going to a gig is the ultimate test to whether an item is warm or not and this baby really did keep me as warm as possible.

I decided to pair the camel with mostly monochromatic pieces to make the camel colour stand out by wearing a pair of black jeans and a white shirt. I then  wore my favourite hat in my collection from Urban Outfitters and my red tartan scarf that I bought last year.I really like this outfit as its warm, practical yet on trend and perfect for the weather we are having.

If you liked this post or have any suggestions feel free to comment down below.

Emily x

Annie At Tiffany's

Hello again... its been a while hasn't it? Well its currently exam season for me which unfortunately results in a lack of posts. I've basically been drowning in practice papers and general revision and it hasn't been fun. On the Brightside my last exam is next Friday and that's it until the new year so I can make my return to the blogosphere. So lets get down to business.

England has became the arctic in the last couple of days and on this day I made the mistake of only wearing a leather jacket and yes I did really regret it. But I assure you the coats are coming back out of my wardrobe very soon as I'm freezing most of the time. I've wanted to jump on the turtleneck jumper bandwagon as soon as autumn was in sight and when I saw this little number on the Zara website I had to snatch it up.

As I've been gravitating towards a more androgynous and tailored look recently I decided to pair it with these cigarette trousers from Topshop which were an absolute bargain. I think that the reason behind this sudden obsession is down to re-watching breakfast at Tiffany's and a film featuring the queen of androgyny  and one of my favourite ever characters, Annie Hall. As I thought this outfit was a little bit dreary I decided to add a touch of colour by pairing it with a red lip and a beautiful piece of costume jewellery from Zara (and yes it does make me feel a tad Audrey Hepburn especially with the hat). I also wore my favourite thing I own, my floppy hat from Urban Outfitters that I fell in love with before a gig in Birmingham.

As this is England after all I wore my comfy and trusty black boots from New Look which I bought last year and have not left my feet. After seeing them in store last week I've deemed it acceptable to wear them again this year. My purse is definitely thanking me for it.

All of these pieces have become wardrobe staples for me. Let me know in the comments what your wardrobe staples are for this time of year.

Emily x

Shake Shack Covent Garden

Earlier this week me and some friends took a trip into London to basically have a look round and procrastinate as usual. After drowining in the crowds at Oxford Circus we decided to have lunch in the slightly less busy Covent Garden. I love this area as it has the perfect balance of the hustle and bustle of the large London shopping areas but with a relaxed feeling. it also has lots of independent stores amongst some larger name brands (which I find quite refreshing). We then spotted Shake Shack. I've heard the Americans and London bloggers mention this gem a number of times and decided to check out the menu. To my surprise the menu had a number of different options at a great price point. I opted for the Shack Burger as it seemed like the perfect but simple burger. Which it was. I really liked the fact that the bun was more like a brioche bun which is something you don't see that often. I also ordered cheesy chips. this was for me the highlight of the meal. If im honest the chips on there own would have been nice but nothing special but with the cheese as well! It was pure heaven.

 

Another noteworthy mention is that Covent Garden has their Christmas lights and decorations up This made me think that its a bit too early to have decorations up already until I realised.....its Christmas next month. Did I hear you correctly I hear you cry? Yes CHRISTMAS IS NEXT MONTH!!! Back to the point I would definitely recommend trying Shake Shack as it is something we don't really have in the UK and despite its mixed reviews I really liked it and it was great value for money.

 

Emily x

 

If you have any requests for a post or have/want to try Shake Shack let me know what you think in the comments.

Sunday Catchup

001 I went to see Annabelle in town with some friends as a bit of Halloween preparation. I liked the back story behind the film the conjuring and as Annabelle is the prequel I just had to see it. I have to say even though it was your classic horror movie format filled to the brim with jump scares with not much else, I kinda liked it. Next on the list is the Babadook even though it looks awful the critics love it, so I'm now intrigued.

002 I took a trip to the hairdressers for a well deserved trim. My hair had grown so much I was practically drowning in hair. So I took the plunge and had about an inch and a bit chopped off. This is a pretty big deal for me as my hair is my baby and I'm seriously picky when it comes to having it cut, but I must say I love what they've done. I do love going to the hairdressers, but who doesn't? I then cracked on with the bane of my life. Revision. As exams are lurking around every corner I thought I would get the dreaded language assessment preparation out of the way with.

003 I went on a patrol to get myself a new foundation. After many hours thinking I couldn't narrow it down from my Clinique favourite and the new Diorskin Star. So I will have to put that on hold.

004 Today I am having a day in on the laptop looking for present ideas as my friends birthday is coming up. I'm going to London on Wednesday with a friend so I'll probably be looking up the best places to eat and some other places to visit besides Covent Garden and Regent street.

If you would like to see a catch up as a feature or would like to see something else from me feel free to leave a comment.

Emily x

Outfit Repeating

 

Recently I've been the biggest outfit repeater to ever exist. I just find it so hard to dress for the weather that we're having that I've basically worn the same outfit over and over again. I've got so many ideas of what look I want I just can't find pieces to suit me. One of my favourite ways to get inspiration is doing a spot of good old fashioned people watching to gain some insight into street style, but this is unfortunately very time consuming. This is where the Mallzee App comes in.

 

Mallzee is basically a hall of inspiration from over 200 stores hosting more than 2 million items. I have only been recommended the app recently but it has been the biggest life saver. The idea of the app is that you create different themed style feeds on which you can set a criteria and the app does the rest. The feeds you create host thousands of items perfectly tailored to you. The app helps you find pieces that are exactly what you're looking for and can help with either a wardrobe revamp or help find the perfect staple piece. I really love the fact that they have such an array of different brands as I find on other big name fashion apps some types of items are harder to find.

 

Mallzee is the quickest and easiest way to prevent outfit repeating and find some inspiration as it has all of your favourite brands under one perfectly designed roof. It's minimal effort and maximum results, my favourite way to do things. You can download the app here and I didn't even get to the best part.....It's free! I can definitely say that this is by far my favourite fashion app and has helped me adjust my wardrobe to the new season. All I can say is, watch out Polyvore there's a new kid in town!

 

If you have downloaded the Mallzee app let me know what you think down below, and feel free to comment down below about what you would like to see from me next.

 

Emily x

This Is All Yours Tour

 

A week ago now I travelled to Wolverhampton with some friends to go and see one of my favourite bands Alt J. When I first heard them on the Brit Awards a few years ago now I knew I was onto a winner. I found out they were touring a year later but I was too busy to go at the time. When I found out earlier this year that they were playing within an hours drive away from me I jumped at the chance. With the release of This Is All Yours on the day of the gig some people were clueless to the what the setlist would be. I absolutely love their new sound especially Every other freckle, Nara and Warm Foothills amongst many others I was praying that they would play Matilda and Taro. Marika Hackman who features on Warm Foothills was supporting. I already loved her song Bath Is Black and my love for her as grown since the gig. As we waited in the crowd the sound of Hunger of the Pine creped in and the band walked on stage. They then proceeded to play Fitzpleasure, Something Good, Left Hand free and Dissolve me before they played Matilda. All of the songs were played absolutely true to the recorded versions and sounded so amazing that I cant really fathom the words to describe it. As a massive fan of the film Leon I love Matilda with all my heart and my expectations of it being played live were definitely true. they also played Ripe and Ruin which is really the odd one out of their first album but everyone absolutely loved that they played it as it really broke up the set.

 

Then they played Taro. as if this gig wasn't enough of an emotional rollercoaster for me already. Taro is such a beautiful song and shares a story in which I really enjoy. If it wasn't only the amazing sounds that did it for me the lights were so effective. I know this might sound like the nerdiest thing to notice the lights at a gig but trust me lights are everything. One thing I was nervous for was the new touring member as Gwil left the band earlier this year but the new bassist was so sweet and definitely fit in with everyone. The band then came on for an encore of Lovely day, Nara and Breezeblocks. Amongst me and the people behind me screaming "senpai notice me" and "Gus bae its me", catching the drum sticks then dropping them, dancing and singing until I had no voice left, I had an absolutely amazing night. I'm saying the best gig of the year so far, but we'll see how Catfish and the Bottlemen and Bombay Bicycle Club are.

 

If you want to see more gig and music reviews feel free to leave a comment below.

Emily x

Sunday Grundge Day

Jacket-H&M

Tshirt-Topshop

Jeans-Topshop

Shoes-Doc Martens

Bag-Kate Spade

Rings-Pandora & Athens Silver Store

 

Yesterday me and my good friend decided to take a well earned trip into town and thought I would do an impromptu OOTD. The weather at the moment is the bane of my life. Do I wear a coat? or do I wear a jacket? or is it basically going to turn into a subterranean climate at about 2:30 in the afternoon? These are the questions we ask on a daily basis. So with that in mind I went for the middle man of a jacket and it turned out to be the right choice. I went for an all black outfit today (would this really be my blog without one?) as I thought its been a while since I've worn all black. Back on track the main purpose of this outfit was to show off my Docs. She finally got Docs? I hear you cry, well yes I did! despite the rumours that wearing them feels like treading on a bed of nails for at least the first decade of wear I wore them yesterday. In fact I pretty much think that all of the Doc horror stories are false apart from the well known size down tip. I went for something pretty minimalistic to show off my new babies and my feet didn't die whilst walking which is an absolute turning point for me. 

 

If you like OOTD's, would like to see something else from me or maybe even a Doc Martens 101 then feel free to let me know down below!

 

Emily x

The End of Summer

                                                                 

Jumper-Forever 21
Jeans-H&M
Leather Jacket-H&M
Scarf-Primark
Bag-Kate Spade New York
Boots-New Look







Well hello internet! it's been a little while now since I've been blogging as going back to school is still as strenuous as ever and from now on I will try and make as much time for my blog as possible. Anyway back to the point of this post! Yesterday me and my friends took a trip to Birmingham to go shopping, go to a gig and see what Birmingham had to offer. We had a really amazing but tiring day and today we decided to have a walk around a local village and get some lunch. As sadly the summer has come to a close I wore my jumper and my new love which is my leather jacket. I have wanted a more fitted jacket with a buckle for so long but gave up hope after coming to terms with the fact that I was not willing to spend £200 on a jacket! But this H&M offering really suits the bill. My mom jeans are also a new love of mine as I've been searching high and low for the perfect pair. I have tried so many other pairs that I gave up and thought the style just didn't suit me but once again H&M saved the day, producing the perfect cut and shape of mom jeans. I then paired them with my red tartan scarf to brighten up the outfit. I then wore my trusty chunky Chelsea boots and my beloved Kate Spade bag.

If you enjoy short posts like this or would like to see something else from me feel free to leave a comment down below.

Emily x

Hampton Court Palace

 

I have been meaning to visit Hampton Court Palace for a long time and I thought what better time than the height of summer (a couple of weeks ago) to go and visit it. Many royal families have lived here including William the 2nd and King Henry the 8th. As you can tell the palace is very grand inside and out and is definitely something to visit. The palace is mostly known for its beautiful gardens and even on a slightly gloomy day they still look very well kept and look still fit for royal approval. One thing that I loved were the beautiful hand carved ceilings. One room had a beautiful skylight window letting the maximum amount of light into the room helping to reach its full potential of spaciousness and really add something to the design. Another room I noticed on the way to the crown display and chapel was one with an amazing  gold and white ceiling, which was definitely the main feature of the room. They also had a display about the George's who have lived in the palace which was the main reason we visited at this time. It really gave an insight into the kings and their lives and decisions that changed the fate of our country. All in all it was a great day out and lovely to visit a place with such beautiful architecture and I definitely recommend it for a relaxing but interesting day out. Next on the list Buckingham palace!

 

If you enjoyed this post or have any other ideas about what you would like to see on this blog feel free to leave a comment below.

 

Emily x

The Natural Make Up Look

Recently I have been gravitating towards a quick and more natural look using the least amount of products I could so here we go.
Clinique stay matte foundation This foundation has to be high up in my all time favourite foundations as its light on the skin but gives just the right amount of coverage. don't be fooled by the name as it keeps an oil free appearance whilst not giving the common lifeless hint that matte foundations tend to give as it creates a dewy complexion in all the right places. the stay matte foundation is definitely an unlikely hero but definitely deserves more recognition.
The Real Techniques Buffing Brush applies foundation effortlessly and buffs the liquid into the skin creating a natural look.
The Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer   Has quickly made its way up my holy grail products list as its from the drugstore making it affordable but also has 3 sections to it. The compact comes with a creamy textured salmon pink colour to correct dark circles under the eyes. This works like magic and applies so smoothly and doesn't cake (yea you heard me correctly). It also comes with a more yellow toned concealer to hide redness and cover blemishes which it also does perfectly. The last section is the setting powder helping to finish the perfect 24hr dark circle and blemish free look.
The YSL Cream Blush Has been with me a long time now and has definitely served its purpose. I've been trying to stay away from powdered products to avoid the cake face look which obviously no one wants. The application process is quick and easy and is perfect for a natural flushed look.
The Maybelline The Falsies Flared Is my favourite variation of the well loved Falsies mascara and is most likely my all time favourite drugstore mascara because it adds the perfect amount of volume whilst not being clumpy (which to me is a hard thing to find. I chose this mascara as it looks great just applied on its own. I find some mascaras only look good with eyeliner too but this one looks amazing with or without.
The YSL Rouge Volupte in Shade 13 was picked up during a mad dash around Heathrow terminal 5's duty free and I don't regret it. Its the perfect peachy pinky nude to add a bit of natural colour to the lips. Its so creamy and conditioning and just feels so moisturising on the lips and if that wasn't enough it tastes like watermelons. enough said.

Thank you for reading this post and feel free to leave a comment below of you liked it or have any ideas of what you would like to see from me!

Emily x

The Red Keep

Well hello internet. I promised holiday pictures so that's what you're getting. A week ago I was here. In beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia. If it wasn't a good enough excuse to go to Dubrovnik just for the amazing views and history, then may I mention that the scenes in Kingslanding in Game of Thrones are filmed within the walled city. Game of Thrones is by far my favourite TV series and I am beside myself with excitement for season 5. As you know I'm a big fan I just had to come here and visit the Red Keep for myself. The walled old city of Dubrovnik is stunning. From the hand crafted bell tower to the old harbour full of boats. I can most definitely see why this place was chosen for Game of Thrones filming to take place as it fits the bill of "pretty old city with castle" perfectly. Walking around the walls and inner city I was just waiting to pass King Joffery being carried up the staircase followed by a concerned and intoxicated Cersei. I absolutely love travelling and especially to places that aren't always so popular, as then I can recommend people places that give a unique experience and Dubrovnik is one of those places.

 

We were taken on a guided tour around the city and given information about the beautiful old harbour and the towers surrounding the city. Out of all the places I've been this summer Dubrovnik takes 1st place. Dubrovnik really has a beautiful and rustic feel to it and I would recommend anyone to visit Dubrovnik as it's a different place to go that's full of lovely and interesting people. Even if you don't like Game of Thrones its truly beautiful, stop listening to me blabbering on and go!

 

let me know if you enjoyed this post or what you would like to see from me in the comments.

 

Emily x

The English Weather

H&M Trench coat

Asos Fedora

Missguided Top

Topshop Jamie Jeans

New Look Boots (last years but are back in stock)

Kate Spade Bag

 

The weather has really turned for the worst this week. Rain literally everywhere. Even though summer is gone and the sun with it this rubbish weather has given me the chance to wack out the A/W wardrobe (and im not complaining). I got my trench coat on a trip with my family earlier this month and it was love at first sight. Even though it reminds me of Inspector Gadget he's become my unlikely style icon recently. I have wanted a burberry trench coat for as long as I can remember but i'll have to make do with mine for now. I paired it with an all black outifit (which you know ive been loving recently) and wore my misguided 90's inspired vest to make my outfit a little more interesting if the weather brightened up. (kind of funny story I saw a woman wearing exactly the same trench coat as me and believe me I was just as embarrassed as she was) I hope the weather brightens up but for now I'm content with my trench coat.



 

    Emily x                                                                                                                                                

Food of the Gods

Well hello internet. Today I am here to rave about a restaurant me and my friend visited in Bath recently. We decided to take an impromptu trip into town to get a few things and just for something to do when we came across Bills. My friend and I have been eyeing up our local Bills for a while as we had heard it was good. As you can tell the décor is amazing! its so eclectic but tasteful it just looks so effortless and seamless. I ordered the strawberry and banana smoothie and no word of a lie is it the best I've ever tasted (not to brag but I've tasted my fair share of smoothies in my time). I also ordered the Bills Burger. I have no words for how good this burger is. It is without fail THE best burger I have ever had. The salad to meat ratio is always a tough one when having a burger but the Bills Burger was literally perfection. The pictures do not do it justice and neither do my words so take my word for it and try it. I found only one fault with Bills and that was the service. I think the waiters forgot about us due to how popular it was that day and we were left waiting a while for the bill, leading to the awkward "do I go and ask for the bill or wait it out until they come back" dilemma, but it was overall a great experience. I think Bills deserves more recognition and maybe I'll try the Clifton branch and see if the service is any better.

Emily x

Blackout

Well hello internet. As I have promised I would try and do OOTD's that's exactly what I have here for you. I know what you're thinking, that's a hell of a lot of black! but in my personal opinion you can never go wrong with black...EVER! I decided to keep this outfit simple by having a plain top from Topshop to give a blank canvas, as I wanted my accessories to be the main focus. I teamed it with my absolute favourite summer piece (yes I'm calling it a summer piece even though its black) my black skort also from Topshop. Skorts are a great way to add the summer favourite of a skirt but without all of the hassle and a pair of shorts without the possibility of a wardrobe malfunction. For my main focus of accessories I am wearing my absolute favourite item in my wardrobe at the moment which is my huge straw fedora from Urban Outfitters. I decided to go full out Audrey Hepburn by sporting a cat eye underneath my rounded tortoise shell sunglasses from vogue eyewear. I'm also wearing my marc by marc Jacobs rose gold watch and as always my well loved Kate Spade handbag. As you can tell this is my go to summer look and I love it as its SO easy to wear but looks great for this amazing weather we've been having.

 

if you have enjoyed this post let me know in the comments if OOTD's would be something you would like to see more often. Emily x

A Tourist In My Own City

Well hello internet. So yesterday me and my good friend Nik decided that we would take a trip in to Bristol and just see where the day takes us. In the end we decided to go for a trip to Clifton, and visited many other places including a new favourite café of mine Boston Tea Party. On our walk there we spotted a small street with a large courtyard, surrounded by beautiful Kensington style houses (As you may or may not know this is the description of my perfect street, so yes I will be checking for any houses for sale like my life depends on it) Clifton is absolutely beautiful, which is something I didn't know until yesterday. Its just so surprising that such a lovely place has always been right on my doorstep but I never thought to explore it. its just such a picturesque area with so many beautiful houses and independent shops that have such  intricate décor. As you can probably  tell I am very passionate about this area. It was a very long trek from my town but as you can see it was definitely worth it.

If you liked this post check back next week to see what I have uploaded for you guys next, I'll give you a hint, I may or may not be going on holiday next week. Thanks for reading guys.

Emily x