My New Blog

I had been thinking about updating my blog for a while, so I took the plunge and I have finally finished creating my new blog! My new blog is definitely more my style and I think it represents more of my personality. 

So, as of today I will no longer be posting content through Blogger/Blogspot, but through Wix instead. I hope that you will all still continue to read my content and continue to be the lovely readers that you are, over on my new site!

(Click the image to be directed to my new blog)

You can access my new blog through the link in my Instagram bio, updates on twitter and if you subscribe using the subscription box on the contact page, you can be updated via email of new blog posts and exciting updates!

I hope to see you over on my new site, enjoying my blog posts!

xxx

10 Tips For A Happier You!

If you're feeling a bit down, like you need a bit of a pick me up, maybe you feel like you're stuck in a rut...

Try out these 10 simple steps for a happier you!*

1. Me Time

Take some time out for yourself. I know this is easier said than done, but it is important to take some time to yourself and to relax. Whether it's planning a day with your friends, or going on a girls night out, or even just spending the day binge watching your favourite show on Netflix and eating all of the junk food you want, whatever you feel happy doing just take a day for 'me time'. 

2. Let It Out

Got a lot of built up frustration? Let it out! Do this by putting all of your frustration into an activity that requires your full mind and attention, maybe; a painting, playing an instrument or even just talk to someone about it. However, be mindful of who you vent to, some people are there to listen and some are only there to find out information so they can gossip.

3. Appreciate Everything

It seems like this one is a bit far-fetched, but trust me when I say that it is possible to appreciate even the smallest things in life. Maybe someone has done something nice for you and you've just been to preoccupied to notice, or you wasn't the the best mood that day, make sure that you tell them how much you appreciate what they have done for you, it will make you feel happier and it will also make the other person happier too.

4. Goals

#Squadgoals #relationshipgoals #couplegoals

Now they're not the goals that we're talking about here, the goals I want to talk about are actual life goals; What do you want to do for a career? What could you see yourself doing and enjoying for a job? Are you career minded? What would you like to have achieved in 5 years time? All of these questions can push you to follow your dreams.

5. Try New Things

If things are getting to repetitive in your life, it would be a good idea to maybe start a new hobby, or join a club. Shake things up a bit and join a Zumba class or start sewing, a new hobby or interest can make the week more exciting and not only that, it can also make you more social and you can make new friends who are interested in the same things as you. 

6. Accept Who You Are

This one is a bit of a bold statement, I know! It's hard to be accepting of yourself everyday, but even just a bit of a pep talk to yourself as you wake up can make you feel a bit better. The pep talk from She's The Man springs to mind as I write this; "I can do this! I am a dude! I am a hunky dude! I'm a badass hunky dude!". 

7. Passion

Be passionate about things that you love! Forget what people say about it and just do what you love! Whether you dance, love to garden or you're a genius in mathematics, do not let anyone tell you that it is stupid or pointless; enjoy it and always know that you have people who support you, no matter what.

8. Motivation 

Keep yourself motivated. If you lose the motivation for something, it will never get done. Keep yourself motivated by keeping track of your progress and this will show you how far you have come since the beginning/when you started whatever it is that you are doing. Focus on your goals and achievements and you will always find yourself motivated. 

9. Organise 

Cliché I know, but keeping yourself organised will help you to keep focused on what you are doing. Keeping things organised in a journal or diary helps me, because it means all of those thoughts and things I need to remember are down on paper and it will free your mind to new information and ideas. 

10. Positive People

Surround yourself with people who only want the best for you and support you. Get rid of toxic relationships and people who just have a negative attitude in general, these are not people you need in your life, nor are they going to encourage you to be the best that you can be. You should also make note that you should encourage your friends and family to also be the best that they can be.

* (please note that these tips are things that have worked for me and they might not necessarily work for everyone)

Until next time...
x

Things Are Changing...

So,  I've been gone for almost a full year! 

Things in my life have been absolutely crazy since I last posted, I will go through everything in detail later on, but the reason that I stopped blogging for the last year is because I was starting my second year on university, moving out of my family home and focusing on what i want to do when I graduate from university!

So, I'm going to give you a run through of everything that has happened since I've been gone...

1. I have moved... TWICE!

My boyfriend and I moved into our first flat together in the summer of 2015 and we lived there for a year. It was a huge change having to do a lot more for myself, I was fairly independent when I lived at home, but I definitely had to do a lot more for myself. 

We just recently moved into our first house together, which is so much bigger than our old flat, but having our first flat did prepare us for moving into a larger space. 

2. I'm graduating from university next year!

In September, I will be in my final year of university. As most of you know, I'm studying BA (Hons) Fashion at uni and I could not have picked a better subject to study for my degree! It is a lot of hard work, early mornings, late nights and consuming a ridiculous amount of tea, but everything always pays off in the end! I recently had a tailored jacket that I made from scratch, put into an exhibition in my city celebrating the life of Amy Johnson. It was surreal seeing something that I was so proud of making, become part of a huge exhibition. 

3.  I'm getting.... MARRIED!

I booked for me and my, now fiancé  to go to London for valentines day this year, for a rare weekend away, and surprised him with tickets to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Little did I know, that he had an even bigger surprise for me! We spent the day of the 27th Feb travelling down to London and had the most amazing experience at the Harry Potter Studio Tour. We then spent the 28th walking around London, just having a lazy stroll and we found Hyde Park. It was so chilly and we had a couple of hours to spare before we had to head home, so we took a walk around Hyde Park and the next thing I know, my boyfriend is down on one knee and asking me to marry him! I was so overwhelmed that I just starting laughing and of course I said yes! We have been engaged for 4 and a half months and the wedding planning is already underway!

I am going to try my hardest to get a blog post up every week on a Sunday, as I really want to get back into blogging because I do really enjoy it!

Until next time...

X

Back to School/College/University - Organisation Tips

In my last post, I talked about what I like to call my 'Emergency Bag', so check out that post if you haven't already! 

Sticking with my Back to School series, I thought that I would give you some tips for staying organised while you're back at school, college or university. 

Tip 1: Get yourself a planner!

It's pretty obvious, but a planner will help you organise everything you need to do over the course of the academic year. The best kind are academic planners, as they start in august and end in July, this means that everything that you put in there will be mostly assignments, deadlines, exams and so on. It's a good idea to pick a fun planner, because this will make you want to check it more often and it will encourage you to use it more as well! I also use another notebook to make my to do lists in! I just personally find it easier to have my to do lists in a separate book and I make them into little check lists, then I tick off each item when it's completed. 

Tip 2: Organise your desk space!

I can't work in a messy environment, (which is strange, because I study Fashion), but my desk space at home and at university are always ridiculously organised! Some people can work with a messy desk and that's completely fine, so if you do skip over this tip.

I keep on my desk: my laptop, headphones, USB stick and/or hard drive, my planner, notebook and a couple of extras, like the book I'm reading and a candle, (the candle changes every season), during the academic term, my sewing machine will also be on my desk. At the moment, my desk also has some pictures and colour swatches on it, as part of a project I have started ready for when I go back to university. 

I find that when you have an organised desk space, you get a lot more things completed, as you don't have to spend time cleaning your desk or wasting time moving things around to make space. 

Tip 3: Organise your supplies!

This one may only apply to those of us who are either studying the arts and/or are just extremely organised! Whether you have just a pencil case, or a set of drawers like myself, organising your school supplies just helps!

I didn't do this last year, but this year I know that the drawers are going to really help keep all of my stuff organised. In my top drawer, I keep stationary items: pencils, pens, crayons and glue etc. The second drawer holds: scissors, post-it notes, rulers, stapler and staples. The third: pattern envelopes, folders and my weekly planner. The fourth drawer is my displaying drawer, so there's stencils, split pins, card and fine liners, these are for my production books. The fifth drawer is miscellaneous items, like dress bags for finished garments, sticky labels and books. Finally, in the last drawer, (my favourite) is everything I need for my C.A.T.S (Critical And Theoretical Studies) lectures: notebooks, spare folders, help sheets and presentation notes. 

Tip 4: Prioritise 

My final tip for this post is to prioritise your work load. I can't stress how much easier your time at school/college/university will be if your prioritise your work! Do all of the things that you know you need to hand in first. If you have an essay that isn't due in until the end of the semester and it's something you know you have a lot of knowledge on, leave it until you've got your projects done that you struggle with and then when you've finished those, you will be able to just power through the essay and it's a good way to end the semester with an easy essay or project!

I hope these tips are helpful and make you want to start organising a bit more, ready for your first semester back at school!

     Until next time...

 x

Back to School/College/University - Emergency Bag

With Back To School season upon us, I thought it would be a good idea to share with you some tips and tricks I've learned from starting University and ideas I've picked up from sites such as: Pinterest and lifestyle blogs. This post will be the first of a new "Back To School" series, were I will write about tips and tricks for the first day back, things you might want to take with you and keep at school/college/university for emergencies and finally study tips.

For this post, I will be talking about an emergency bag that you can take with you on your first day back and either leave in your locker, or personal drawer, as I know some colleges have those, or even just to keep in your bag. I know that this is a great idea for people like myself, who are super organised and whether or not you use it, you may become that lifesaving friend who has something that a friend may need!

Each Emergency Bag will be tailored to each individual person, however this is just a general idea of you will/may need to put in your bag.

Items include:

- A small bag, such as a make up/wash bag
- Sanitary Pads/Tampons
- Feminine Wipes
- Spare Pants (Just in case)
- Deodorant (Especially after P.E)
- Hair Brush
- Hair Ties/Bobbles
- Bobby Pins/Hair Grips/Large Hair Clip
- Pain Killers/Ibuprofen (Check if you're allowed to carry medication)
- A small first aid kit (Plasters/Tape/Antiseptic Wipes)
- Nail File (For those horrid broken nails)
- Shine absorbing sheets

Other things that you can add to your bag could be:

- Hand sanitiser 

- A snack (Granola Bar/Breakfast Bar)

- Lip Balm (Especially for winter)

- Gum/Mints

- Toothbrush/Toothpaste (Handy for people with braces)

While others may choose not to do this, you'll be happy to know you've got things to hand if something does happen, i.e: Mother Nature comes for an unexpected visit, or you're just having a bad hair day.

                                                    Until next time...

                                                               x

March Favourites 2015

Welcome to this weeks blog post and I thought since it's pretty much the end of March, I would share with you guys my beauty favourites I've loved throughout the month of March. 

An overview of my favourites this month

No7 - Intense Day And Night Creams

         

                                                    Alice + Eliza - Powdered Violet Hand Cream

   

                     

For skincare, I have three favourites this month: Two No7 face creams and the Alice + Eliza Powdered Violet Hand Cream. 

I find that these three products work really well on my skin and each of them also smell amazing, which is a bonus obviously!

The two No7 face creams both have the same scent, texture and consistency and neither leave your face feeling sticky and they both also absorb really well. 

The next product is the Alice + Eliza Powdered Violet hand cream. As stated by the name, it literally smells like sweet violets (remember those sweets from the sweet shop called Parma Violets?) That is what I instantly think of when I smell this. It isn't sticky at all and it doesn't take ages to absorb into the skin, which is amazing! The hand cream leaves your hands feeling really soft and moisturised, but without the sticky residue. 

                                                    Now, onto make up!

Maybelline - Super Stay 24 Foundation
SEVENTEEN - Phwoarr Paint Concealer
Collection - Sheer Loose Powder

                           

                         Dior - Diorskin Forever Foundation

  

For base make up, I have recently discovered the Diorskin Forever Compact foundation. This foundation comes in a small compact, with a sponge applicator and it is in the shade 020. I discovered that this foundation also acts as a powder as well, because when you apply it, it does go on more like a powder than a foundation. However, I think that it makes the application a lot simpler and also, it gives you a flawless finish as it not being applied in a liquid form. 

Another alternative foundation (and also my go to foundation) is the Maybelline Super Stay 24 Foundation. I use this every day when I apply make up and I can't give it enough praise. It is a liquid foundation and it literally does what it says on the packaging: "Flawless Fresh Foundation" I use the shade 005 - Light Beige.

To go with either foundation, I use the SEVENTEEN Phwoarr Paint Concealer and I haven't gone back to any other concealer since finding this. It's a heavy duty concealer and it really is true to it's word. Now, we are all guilty of taking a couple of selfies when we feel we look good, and I find that with this concealer you can't see any of my dark under eye circles in pictures!

To finish off my base make up, I use the Collection Sheer Loose Powder in shade 1 - Barely There. I find that this loose powder is a great, inexpensive and an all-round good product. 

Collection - Work The Colour Eyebrow Kit
Rimmel London - Glam Eyes Liquid Liner

          Estee Lauder - Sumptuous Extreme Mascara      

          Benefit - Roller Lash Mascara

   

For eye brows, this month I have been loving the Collection - Eyebrow Kit and I use the middle shade, which is a light brown colour. I find that this eyebrow kit is the best one I have used so far, as I have quite prominent eyebrows, this kit definitely does not make them look even bigger than they already are! I finish off my eyebrows with the clear brow gel provided, as it locks my brows into place and they won't move all day!

For eye make up, I use Rimmel London - Glam Eyes Liquid Liner in black. This eye liner was one of the first products I picked up when thinking about this post. It dries pretty quickly and doesn't transfer onto your upper eye lid as a result. 

Mascara is a must have for me, as I love having full eyelashes. The two mascaras that I picked for my March favourites are: Estee Lauder - Sumptuous Extreme Mascara and the Benefit - Roller Lash Mascara. Both of these mascaras are equally as good as each other and I prefer to use the Roller Lash first and then the Estee Lauder one over the top. Neither of these mascaras leave you with clumpy eyelashes and they both give you full, voluminous lashes. 

                                  Estee Lauder - Modern Muse Chic

                                      Calvin Klein - Reveal

Now, we can't forget to show our perfume collection some love! My favourites from this month are: Estee Lauder - Modern Muse Chic and Calvin Klein - Reveal.

Each of these perfumes are a favourite in their own way, as Modern Muse Chic smells very floral and is definitely a spring perfume, whereas Reveal is a very musky perfume,  but it can be worn all year round, as it is very versatile. 

I know this post has been super long, but I hope you enjoy what beauty products I have been loving throughout the month of March!

                                                      FashionandThread

                                                                    xo

               

Night Time Skincare/What I Used During Winter 2014

First of all, I would like to apologise for this post being extremely late, it's because I am so busy with university at the moment, I find it hard to find the time to be able to actually write a blog post and also make sure that the pictures and content is actually ready to be posted! (No sloppy work here!)

Now, finally onto the topic!

My skincare changes quite regularly and I love trying out new products, finding out what works for me and what doesn't. It also changes depending on the season as well, it will be different in summer and winter. Now that spring is nearly upon us, I thought that I would share with you all what I have been using and loving on my skin during winter of 2014 and through into the new year.

Products I have used and loved!

Monday through to Saturday, I use the same products every night and then on a Sunday night I change to my Estee Lauder skincare, just to give my skin some love and a good old pamper before the working week!
I use all of these products, because they either work really well on my skin and/or I would repurchase these products again.

Monday - Saturday:

Eye make-up remover - Skin System, Young skin eye make-up remover

Face wipes - Skin System Normal/Combination skincare wipes

Face wash - Olay Essentials refreshing face wash

Toner - Olay Essentials refreshing toner

Moisturiser - No7 Protect & Perfect intense night cream

Sunday:

Eye make-up remover - Estee Lauder, gentle eye make-up remover

Face wash - Estee Lauder, perfectly clean foam cleanser/purifying mask

Serum - Estee Lauder, advanced night repair 

Eye cream - Estee Lauder, revitalizing supreme eye balm

Moisturiser - Estee Lauder, revitalizing supreme cream

                                                                           

                                                              Until next time, 

FashionandThread

xo