a quick update...

I just want to apologise to my loyal readers for the lack of new posts.  I'm dealing with a bitch of an illness and things get too much for me sometimes, and the pain is hard to deal with.


Ideally, I'd be posting something every day to keep my mind from wandering and being sad.  But it's easier said than done...all I want to do is curl up in a ball and sleep.

Sometimes, I think, 'invisible' illnesses - those that involve chronic pain, are misunderstood.  People don't appreciate how much of a detrimental effect pain can have on a person.  My whole body and mind is tired at the minute, but I don't plan to take this lying down.

I have nearly 5 months before I go back to university, my final year.  I can't quite believe it myself.  It seems like yesterday I was all bright eyed and bushy-tailed out from college, eager to start my degree.  

So, I've made it my personal mission to NOT lie around and mope, however much I want to do that, and however hard it may be to stop myself from doing that.  I have so many exciting things in store over the coming months, and the thought of these things is what is keeping me going.  I'm going to London to cover Graduate Fashion Week, I've got a fabulous holiday booked to Morocco with my best girls and it's very possible I'll be visiting my boyfriend in San Francisco in August (he's working there over the summer).

When there's so many exciting things happening, I'm hoping it's enough to inject that sparkle back into me I feel like I've lost over the past few months.  

So, here's to hoping...

Love, peace + ponytails

PS. I've went blonde, but more of that later


PPS. 2000 pageviews! Somebody pop open the Lambrini...

work, work, work...and a ponytail!

Just a quick message to let you know I haven't been kidnapped/pressganged into joining a crew of rebel pirates/abducted by aliens.

I feel as though I've seriously neglected my blog the past few days, so first and foremost are my apologies.  I look forward to writing some more stuff to bring smiles to all of your pretty faces very soon!  My coursework will be done and dusted (for now) on Wednesday, so stay tuned.


After living on popcorn, energy drink, peach melbas and wine gums whilst writing essays for 5 days straight, I feel like I've had all the life sucked out me by a dementor.  Nothing a few lie ins and bacon butties can't fix though!  So, I shall be back to posting as usual, very, very soon.


Secondly, a big thank you to all of my lovely new followers.  There's no better feeling when people tell you they enjoy what you write :)

P.S. You have no idea how happy I am that I can get my hair into a ponytail ^^ (sort of, I can get most of my hair up, maybe I should call it a phonytail? hmm) after shaving most of my hair off back in the summer, so apologies again, this time for being shamelessly vain and showing you all! Weee! I <3 my ponytail :)

I realise I don't look exactly ecstatic with my ponytail on the first photo, so here's a happier looking one.

Just to clarify, my head isn't a strange shape, it's a silly effect on my webcam!

Peace, love and ponytails 

xo

review: superdrug "chocolate brownie" dry shampoo

First and foremost, to all of my lovely new followers, welcome and thank you all for reading. I've been blogging barely a week yet, and I'm already becoming seriously addicted!

Last night I found out I had been given the Kreativ Blogger Award by the beautiful Jennifer (check out her blog here- you will not be disappointed!) And so, it is my job now to pass this award onto 10 other bloggers. I will be posting my winners later on so stay tuned to find out if you've been nominated :)

And now I have a little review for all of you lovely ladies (and gentlemen, if there is any at all reading this).

Yesterday, I was doing my usual run around all of my favourite shops for beauty buys, and came across Superdrug's own make dry shampoo. There was an offer at the front of the shop that caught my eye, buy 1 and get 2 free!  And all for the bargain price of £1.99 (usually the cost of one).  Plus the packaging looked cute.

Being a brunette, I chose "Chocolate Brownie", which is chocolate scented..obviously (and brown tinted).  Well, if I'm trying to cut down on chocolate, maybe I could replace eating it with smelling it? Actually, maybe not (I say, making my way through a Christmas selection box which has somehow miraculously survived being eaten by me, until now).  

With dry shampoo being an essential to ANY student's survival/stay clean kit, I just had to try it.  I mean, why get out of bed half an hour early just to wash your hair?  It's hard enough to get a good 8 hours in your bed, without putting boozy nights out, all-nighters to meet your deadlines, 5am bedtimes and general adolescent laziness into the equation.

So, this morning when I got up for work, I didn't wash my hair.  I was praying to god this dry shampoo actually worked, I was relying on it, as greasy lank hair is not a good look. 


And...it worked absolutely brilliantly!

The smell was really sweet, it reminded me a bit of bourbon biscuits.  Plus, the rich brown tint in the dry shampoo stopped me looking like I was greying, which other brands of dry shampoo tend to do, even the tinted brown Batiste.  And most importantly, my hair went from lank to bouncy, yummy smelling and clean looking.  

I would most definately recommend this product to dry shampoo virgins, lovers, and even the haters- because if this product won't convert you then nothing will.  

There is a whole range to choose from, however at the minute, only "Away With The Fairies" Superdrug dry shampoo is available to buy online (click here to have a spy!), but you can find the full selection in your local Superdrug store.

Pros

:)  bargain price of £1.99 versus Batiste's £2.99 (or more)

:)  on offer at the minute for buy 1 get 2 free

:)  great value for money

:)  smells good enough to eat! but please don't, that's just stupid

Cons

:(  honestly can't think of any cons! I love this product <3

Who would I recommend this product to?

Brunette haired girls, who love a quick fix in the morning, or at any other time of the day to freshen up.  I think I'll probably skip washing my hair more often just so I can use this product which smells AMAZING!

Rating

5/5

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed on this blog are my own.  I have not been paid to advertise products- it is something I do for fun in my spare time, however endeavour to deliver honest reviews.  If you would like to use any of my original photography featured on the blog, feel free, but please link back to me and give credit where due.

poor little rich girl

Hello lovelies! 

It seems as though my following is slowly but very surely growing.  Thank you all for reading, hopefully this blog is the start of something very exciting, and I hope you all continue to read and enjoy :)

As some of you may know, I am a student of fashion journalism (I studied fashion design for 3 years at college, but had some sort of epiphany and decided my life-long passion for writing was my true calling!)

Art, design and illustration will always be a massive part of my life, despite me choosing what some may call a more 'conventional' path in my education.  Yes, I do love writing, but I dearly hope someday I can be involved in the design industry.

I have decided to share some photographs with you of a recent fashion spread I photographed for a project in university, along with the help of my amazing fashion friends! 

We collectively worked, and styled a photoshoot on the theme 'Money's Too Tight To Mention', and the following images are what we created- rather beautiful even if I say so myself.  We came up with the idea of jazzing up old items of clothing with the occasional on-trend piece, perfect for students and those on a tight budget.

I used some of the money from my 21st birthday to buy a professional camera, the Fujifilm Finepix HS20. I know I will get very good use out of it- next year when I put my own magazine together for a final year project, and now, providing you all with original images for my blog- which I hope you all love.

ABOVE: dress and jacket by Miss Selfridge

I convinced my rather gorgeous friend, Amiee, to model for us.  I would totally work the black lipstick look, but I don't think I'd pull it off as well as she does...

ABOVE: dress by New Look, collar by ASOS

We wanted a dark gothic vibe for some of the pictures, and we managed to be granted access to use our local Minster as one of the locations we shot at, which was absolutely brilliant. 

ABOVE: nylon basque by ASOS, mask from local fancy dress shop

Obviously this wasn't shot inside the church! ^ 

ABOVE: dress and collar as before, shoes by ASOS, hat from local vintage store

Love the lighting on this photograph.  She looks angelic with the light radiating from behind her!

Let me know what you think of the photos- I'd love to hear your opinions.

Until next time, au revoir x

5 things that become instantly more interesting when you've got a deadline for university

As I type this, there is a huge, black, gloomy cloud lurking above my head. I feel annoyed, stressed and a little bit sad. Well, a lot sad.


Yes, Christmas and the festivities of the new year are over. The crackers have been pulled. The party poppers popped. Presents opened. And the amaretto has all been drunk. And now all I'm left with is a pot belly, a winter cold and a HUGE pile of university work that has barely been contemplated over the last fortnight.


And so, here is my comprehensive list of 5 things that instantly seem more appealing, interesting and worthy of your time when you know you have a deadline at university...


1. The inside of your eyelids

Who knew that day time naps were so enjoyable? Even though, after a fortnight off, getting out of bed before lunchtime is nothing short of a small miracle. You've barely been awake 3 hours, yet your bed/the sofa and your favourite pj's are calling out for you. "Put me on...this bed is so cosy and warm...come on, lie down for a few minutes...you won't regret it." The only feasible solution? Drink a whole crate of Redbull, you won't be able to sleep even if you wanted to.

2. Cleaning your bedroom

After sleeping in a cess-pit of clothes, shoes, crisp packets, half-drunk cups of tea, chewing gum on window ledges, for some reason cleaning your room suddenly becomes your priority. Your reasoning? If you clear your room, this will also clear your mind...thus enabling you to think more clearly and complete work to an impeccable standard. I'm not talking about any old clean. I'm talking full-on clean, antibacterial wipes, hoovering, windows wiped, mirror polished. But this is not likely, half way through you will get bored, and you will end up taking a Nana style nap on your bed.

3. Making meals from scratch

Prior to being given university work, beans on toast was a massive chore. Super Noodles? Too much effort. But for some reason, deadlines bring out your inner Gordon Ramsey. The thought of cooking moussaka from scratch, or baking a batch of cupcakes and lovingly decorating them as if they were bespoke works of art, is far more appealing than desperately trying to understand the concept of 'hegemony', 'Marxism' or 'ideology', or..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

4. Watching any and every documentary, no matter how relevant to your degree subject

Documentaries count as work don't they? Well if they don't, they should. A solid day of documentary watching must have some impact on your intelligence. From the life of plants (so interesting), to ancient civilizations and space travel- there are literally hundreds of documentaries available on Sky. My favourite documentaries are those that involve food. Man Vs. Food, Cupcake Wars- oh, and the narrator of Come Dine With Me is just hilarious. I can sit and watch a good 3 hours at time on More4. What? Oh. So Come Dine With Me doesn't count as a documentary? Damn.


5. Writing about anything and everything. Apart from the subject in which you have a piece of work due

I can't help it. I've always done it. I remember getting maths homework in junior school, and when it came to doing it, I would find myself wanting to write poetry- day dreaming that I would be the next Seamus Heaney or Alfred Noyes. Except I was a 7 year old girl. This trend carried on throughout my school years; short stories, huge accounts in my diary, haiku, songs, plays, contributing to the Lost discussion boards (ask me anything about the numbers and the Dharma initiative).

And here I am now, writing my blog, when I have approximately 7000 words combined to write for university.