This weeks buys and loves

Dress I was going to buy,
Miss Seflridge £65

I went shopping with my girls on Monday night to the Metro Centre. We shopped till we dropped and got kicked out at 10pm as all the shops were closing.

I did not have a lot of money, so I there was more window shopping than actual shopping from me. I did however treat myself with a bargain in Miss Selfridge. I got a lovely dress in the sale reduced from £32 to £17, and with my student discount on top of it I only paid £15.

 I did originally go to try on a dress I was majorly in love with on the website, however after trying it on I found it wasn't very flattering and changed my mind.

My £15 pound Miss Selfridge Dress,
Worn with a black leather belt (H&M), and black tights.

Miss Selfridge £26 

My friend bought this lovely skirt from Miss Selfridge also. We both plan on wearing them for our friends 23rd birthday on Monday night. I will post pictures of us both later.






Other items I found when shopping, that I fell in love with are;

Miss Selfridge £49

Miss Selfridge £45

Topshop £26

Topshop £10

Miss Sefridge £39

Topshop £12 

Miss Selfridge £90

What are you loving at the moment? Have you made any purchases over the past couple of weeks?

First Review| Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara

 My first review, is on my beauty must, at all times, mascara! Mascara is the one product I would not leave the house without, I feel like I'm naked without it. As a result I go through a lot of mascara, and I am quite picky and opinionated.

So this mascara is Rimmel Scandaleyes. It is one of their recent releases, and this is my second tube,

so as you can see I don't find it too bad. I will talk you through the pro's and con's.

Pro's

• Does not smudge or wear off during the day (I work in hospitality, so I am around a lot of heat, steam, moisture etc, and it rarely wears off and give me panda eyes.)
• Builds up very easily, so can apply many layer easily without it flaking.
• Gives the look of very long lashes.

Con's

• Very Very large brush, so can be a bit difficult to handle to begin with.
• Dries up quickly compared to other mascaras.

Overall I would give it a 7/ 10, mainly because it takes some getting used to the large brush. Have you ever tried this mascara? What do you think of it? 

British Fashion Awards 2011

A couple of days late, I know, but I still would like to share my opinion.

Winners 2011;

• Designer of the Year- Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
• Designer Brand- Victoria Beckham
• Red Carpet Award- Stella McCartney
• Accessory Designer- Charlotte Olympia
• Model- Stella Tennant
• British Style Award- Alexa Chung
• Menswear Designer- Kim Jones
• Emerging talent Award- Tabitha Simmons
• Emerging Talent Award- Menswear- Christopher Raeburn
• Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator- Sam Gainsbury
• New Establishment Award- Christopher Kane
• BFC Outstanding Achievement in Fashion- Paul smith

Victoria Beckham

Firstly a huge congratulations to Victoria Beckham. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have a huge love and admiration for the woman, so I was over the moon when I heard she won Designer Brand of the Year. After all her hard work, she has finally solidified her place in the fashion world. I think it was great to see, a rare moment of emotion from her as well, which shows just how much this award meant to her. Watch the Video Below;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygHsHFA9Y08

Sarah Burton

The designer of the year was obviously going to be Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, there was no questioning that. I mean she does deserve it after designing the dress of the year, however it would of been interesting to see who would of won if there had not been the Royal Wedding.

Alexa Chung

For the British Style Award, I was disappointed to see Alexa Chung win it. I am not saying she is not stylish, She is incredibly stylish, and a great muse, you only have to look at Mulberry for that. However she won the award last year, she always dresses the same, and never really pushes the boundaries of style, and I feel a bit over her really. It would be nice to see someone else being the "it" girl for a change. There was a lot of up-roar from the press, saying that Kate Middleton deserved to win the award after all she has frequented the pages of "Best Dressed" far more than Alexa Chung has this year.

What does everyone think? Who would you have picked for your winners?

That Time of the Month| Exercises That Relieve Period Pains

So this is a little personal, but it effects all of us girls. It's just a quick post about a way I have found to help us through this time of the month.

Obviously the usual, hot-water bottle, sofa, chocolate, magazines of films, helps. But sometimes you can not do that, and you need to actually get on with your life. I always have one day, when I am in serious pain, once so much so I nearly passed out, and at times I have been sick. So I always try and find ways to relieve this pain, so I can continue the day as normal as possible.

As much as you want to, curling up in a ball, does not help! Your muscles need to be relaxed not tensed. So I have found a short easy gentle yoga routine can help, as this helps you focus on your breathing, not the pain. It also helps you relax all you muscles especially the stomach ones.

You can easily search such routines on YouTube, as there is loads of free tutorials available. I have recently used;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moF1sy0SvGk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4SDE2kpQHs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mChI17yrOXM&feature=related

I hope this helps even one person! How do your relieve your cramps? 

The Princess and the Bee| Bee Venom Face Mask

I bet you are all wondering how the lovely Kate Middleton looks so great and what her facial routine is and how she is so wrinkle free! Or like me, you really haven't given a second thought about it. But anyways here is how she supposedly keeps her face line free, and it's a trick given to her by Duchess Camilla.

The big secret is a natural alternative to Botox, in the shape of a Bee Venom Mask. It is a product supplied by Heaven Skin Care by Deborah Mitchel. The science behind the product is that the cream contains one per cent bee venom. This venom tricks the skin's surface into thinking it had been stung, thus increasing the blood flow, collagen and elasticity. The Princess herself has private treatments at her home, as opposed to buying the product.

In my opinion I can see the sense in this, I understand how it works, and think it's a pretty innovative product. I would love to try it myself, but as I currently don't have many lines on my face I'm reluctant to folk out the £65 needed per pot.

If anyone has tried this product I would love to hear about it, and see what your experiences have been like.

Abs Are Made In The Kitchen

I don't know about you, but I never seem to get the right balance with nutrition and exercise. I either find myself religiously working out, 5/6 days a week, feeling great, but not eating right as I am in the mentality that "oh I worked out already, so I can eat this chocolate." Or I eat great, really healthily, but don't exercise, as I think "I'm eating great and loosing weight, so I don't need to exercise."

At the moment I am eating great, but not exercising, I keep telling myself "Oh well, weight loss is 70 percent diet, and 30 per cent exercise." However if I don't work out I won't be toned, I need to kick myself up the bum. Think of it this way, you eat 3-5 times a day, everyday, however you only workout 1-2 times a day 5-6 times a week. The activity that you partake in the most, if obviously going to have a greater impact on your body. 

So starting this week, as in tomorrow! I am going to workout 4 days a week, and keep my soup/smoothie diet up.

I am also upping my soup/smoothie diet, to kick start my weight loss for December. So I will be having 3 smoothies a day, and 3 soups a day, it will almost be like a cleanse. Everything I eat will be green and I will be making sure the soups and smoothies are rammed full of protein so I do not loose muscle mass like you can do in some cleanses. 

Have you ever been on a cleanse, or liquid diet? Do you get the balance right between exercise and diet?

Harper Beckham| Four Months and Fabulous

This is just a quick little post about how fabulous I think Harper Beckham is, but more importantly how fabulous Victoria Beckham is.

Victoria Beckham has always been a huge favorite of mine. I was never one of her many haters she seems to have her in the UK, and have always been a big defender of hers. I completely love how she has now proved her haters wrong and become a worldwide successful fashion designer. Like she says in her own words "Our turnover year-over-year has increase over 120 percent. I think to anyone's standards that's pretty impressive."

She is often given a hard time in the press here, about how she always carries Harper around like she's an accessory, yes she would be safer in a pram, but she is not the first celebrity to show off their child. Plus at least she is spending time with her child, and does not leave her with a nanny at all times while she flies around the world.

Today Victoria is getting a hard time for spending £30 on a pair of Chloe tights for Harper, but come on, the Beckham's are worth millions, so why can they not spend their money on their children. Plus it is all about relevance. To many spending £30 on a pair on tights for a baby is absurd, as that could be the cost of a meal out at a restaurant, or near the cost of a weekly shop for one. But to the Beckhams, who's income is higher, so their spending will be higher, £30 for tights would have the same significance as one of us mere mortals spending £5 on tights.

What is your opinion on the Beckhams, do you love them or loathe them?

Winter Trends| Glitter Glitter Everywhere

Nothing is making me more festive at the moment that all the wonderful, sparkly, glittery fashion. I absolutely adore it. I know normally metallic shades always pop up at this time of year, along with jewel colours and your classic black dresses. But the added glitter elements to accessories and clothes is something new, and if done correctly looks great. However if done incorrectly the look can be quite cheap and tacky looking. Try and stick to one glittery item per outfit.

So here's the inspiration from the designers;

Lela Rose £1360

Dolce & Gabbana £995

Givenchy £865

Anya Hindmarch £350

Kaufmanfranco £6880

Vivienne Westwood £2015

Herve Leger £2350

Rachel Gilbert £995

Now shop the High street:

Topshop £6

Miss Selfridge £75

French Connection $165

River Island £60

River Island £65

New Look £24.99

New Look £54.99

French Connection £65

For other items, look more in Topshop, River Island, New Look, French Connection and even Marks and Spencer. This look is pretty much in every shop, and will see you through all the Christmas parties, and through to New Year. For pieces that will still be in season in January and February, bags would be a good investment, as they will just spruce up an outfit and not be too Christmassy for the none Christmas season. If again this look it too over bearing for you, and you prefer something even more subtle, look for glittery nail polishes and eye-shadows, or even a hair piece/ hair band.

Food Intake Recently| The Benefits to Soup and Smoothies

Recently I have had this obsession on not becoming ill. I have a million assignments to do for uni my dissertation, I work 30+ hours a week in hospitality, plus it's party season... so basically I don't have time to be ill, and with loads of my colleagues being ill I had to take action.

I decided to up my vitamin intake and make loads of vegetable soup, and eat a bowl a day, hoping the vitamins would keep my immune system up. It seemed to work, plus my skin and hair looked amazing thanks to these vitamins. I have done well at sticking to eating soup, so decided to increase my vitamins more and added smoothies to my diet. So before I knew it I was having home made smoothies for breakfast, and home made soup for lunch. I feel great because of it, and because they are full of fibre and protein, I feel fuller for longer, so I don't feel the urge to snack. As a consequence in the past 2 weeks I have lost 6 pounds in weight, which is a great side effect.

For recipes I find them on tumblr, on recipe sights such as the BBC good food, or SparkRecipes. And as long as you have a blender it is easy to do. You can even make a few days worth in one go and leave them in glasses in the fridge, so you can just grab your smoothie in the morning.

I have really just accidently found myself on a replica of one of these silly meal replacement plans that people pay fortunes for, yet mine is completely natural, cheaper, and has the same effect.

So, so far, so good, as I have not fallen ill, I have tonnes of energy, my hair and skin will look amazing for party season, and my waistline is slimmer.

Have you ever tried a meal replacement diet? Or do you favour more green and natural diets? 

St Ives Apricot Scrub Review| Favourite Face Scrub

I believe it is absolutely essential to use a scrub 2 times a week, especially those who are prone to blackheads or milia (More on milia later), like me, as a scrub will definitely help reduce these blemishes, and even get rid of them is you use it regularly in your skin care regime. A scrub will exfoliate your face, and get rid of dead skin cells built up on your skin, which could cause blemishes.

My favourite face scrub is St Ives Apricot Scrub for Blemished Skin. Other variations of the same brand work just as well, I just use Blemished skin as it is most appropriate for my own. The price is very reasonable, at around £5, and it is available at most high street cosmetic stores, or supermarkets.

The scrub is quite thick, and very grainy, meaning only a little amount is required. Due to it's coarseness you do not need to scrub to hard on your skin for it to wok effectively. Straight after applying my face is instantly significantly smoother, and after apply a light moisturiser I am literally glowing!

A few pointers and warnings about facial scrubs and exfoliating.

1. Do not apply scrubs around your eyes. This area of skin is significantly thinner, and more delicate than the rest of your skin, so does not need to be scrubbed. If it is it increases signs of aging for sure, and no one wants that. 
2. Do not scrub too hard on your skin, you would think this would be better, but it is not, as you could end up taking off healthy skin cells, and consequently damage your skin. Your skin should not be red rare after this treatment.
3. Do not scrub your face every day, again it could take healthy skin cells off your face. 

The golden rule with exfoliation is, you can have too much of a good thing!! Less is more! 

Rachel Bilson's debut shoe collection

We all love shoes, that easy buy, that no matter if you are having a fat day, an ugly day, whatever, new shoes will make you feel fabulous! So recently there have been a lot of these custom websites, that create an "individual profile" of styles that they think you would like, based on a series of questions you have answered. The website normally has a celebrity endorsing them to raise their profile, we have Kim Kardashian and Shoe Dazzle (http://www.shoedazzle.co.uk/) , Cheryl Cole and Stylist Pick (http://www.stylistpick.com/#2) , and now there is Rachel Bilson and ShoeMint (http://www.shoemint.com/showroom).

I have highly anticipated Rachel Bilson's collection, as she is a girl who regularly graces the pages of magazines and "Best Dressed" list, despite her not really doing much apart from looking good.

So I joined the website, answered the questions and got my results. the results were good, as two out of three of the designs I would wear. However in all honestly thought I was disappointed with the lack of results, 3 shoes, in 2 different colours is not much choice. Plus the price is a bit higher that other websites that offer the same service; their prices being around £39.99, ShoeMint's prices are $79.99 (around £50). The bad news for us UK girls is that currently they only ship to addresses within the US, but hopefully that will change as they expand, as this is what happened with ShoeDazzle. Again because this is the first collection, maybe as time goes by with more collections, more styles will be designed, giving us girls more choice.

Have you ever bought any shoes from these new websites? What do you think of their service? 

Twilight wedding dress| Replica from Alfredo Angelo

I imagine all you Twilight fans (Yes that includes myself, no hating please), will have probably already seen the film, ans will be lusting after Kristin Stewart's beautiful wedding, and the dress, but now you can get the dress!

Obviously there is no need for to buy the wedding dress, unless you are in fact getting married soon. If you are a lucky lady who is getting married, Alfredo Angelo have their own bargain version of the Twilight dress, priced at $799.

According to "industry insiders" the original dress, designed by Carolina Herrera, cost an estimated $35,000! This is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a wedding dress so us people in the real world. However the Alfredo Angelo one is a steal!

The replica dress, is very similar to the original, apart from a difference in fabric, the original is silk, and the replica opts for liquid satin. Both dresses are demure, classic and breathtaking. 

Overall I believe it to be a pretty good copy, and you can not argue with the price. However I do believe that because the fabric has been changed to liquid satin, the front of the dress does not fit as well, and looks a bit like sleep wear...very glamorous sleepwear!

Let me know what you think of replica, and if you like the dress at all.

Winter Warmers\ Health Benefits to Soup

I don't know about you, but working all the time, and only having a short lunch break (20-25 minutes) makes finding a suitable, fulfilling and healthily lunch difficult. Especially during the colder months. I never have time to leave work and go to a sandwich shop such as Pret-a-Manager, Boots or Costa Coffee, and I do not like preparing my own cold salads or sandwiches.

So my latest thought has been soup. Home-made soup to be exact.
Yes I agree it easier to buy a can of soup, but it is not as healthy, more expensive and less fun.
So I make batches of soup, then portion them out into freezer bags, and freeze them. When I go to work I use the microwave to defrost them, and hey presto fresh home made soup to warm me up :)

This is a soup I made this evening- Lightly spiced Carrot Soup.
Recipe- http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/12276/lightly-spiced-carrot-soup

BBC good food website has a few great recipes, they even have the nutritional value about each dish to help you calorie counters!

A quick, easy, healthy solution to a rushed lunch!

Hello

This blog is going to consist of all things health and fitness, and beauty and fashion. I am an avid fan of all these things, and my posts will generally be me coming across things, sharing my opinions, giving my advice, and maybe even the occasional rant.

I decided to create this blog, as I already have Tumblr based on all things fitness and health, and enjoy regularly posting on it. However I wanted to create a blog where I have this aspect plus other interests of mine. So we'll see how it goes.

<3