Festival Special:

In honour of Glastonbury weekend this is a festival special post!

Unfortunately I'm not going to any festivals this summer and I'm very jealous of all those festival goers so this post is for everyone who will be attending a festival this year or anyone who, like me, wishes they could be going but is stuck at home.

Record that Rocks

Coldplay have been a major force in British music for a decade and they have been headlining festivals for almost that long. Personally I must admit to being a little lukewarm towards them I find that a lot of their music fails to move me but that might be about to change... They have released a song from their forthcoming album and it really is made for festival and stadium audiences, 'Every teardrop is a waterfall' will sound fantastic played at full volume to a massive crowd.

This song manages to capture the wonderful festival feeling in 4 minutes and makes me super jealous of everyone who has tickets to a festival. So I dedicate this song to everyone who will be staying at home this summer: turn the music up, shut the world outside and pretend you are there too!

In the eye of the beholder



Camping and the infamous festival toilets don't exactly provide the ideal environment for a high maintenance look. But the lack of a decent bathroom doesn't have to stop you looking your best!

My first festival must have is a decent mascara. I always feel naked without it on and a quick sweep of a good mascara can do wonders for your look, by attracting attention to your eyes it helps draw attention away from any blemishes that a couple of days of late nights and camping can cause. My current favourite is Maybelline Great Lash Blackest Black mascara. It's a good daily staple, not too heavy and it comes off very easily but if you like a bold, dramatic mascara this might not be the mascara for you. However I love it and I've used mine so much the label has come off and at £5.00 from Tesco its great value. 

Dry shampoo is my second festival essential. I was initially a bit wary of the idea of it but I spent a few months out in India earlier this year and because the showers there weren't always fantastic, dry shampoo became my saviour! I've been converted and now I absolutely love it; mine is Superdrug's own brand. It smells gorgeous and fruity and it works a treat. The 50ml can is £1.00 (The lid got lost somewhere between Delhi and Goa)

My final hot tip for festival beauty is wet wipes, not wanting to get too personal but these have a million uses and you can never have enough of them! These are from Primark there was two packets (50 wipes)  for £1.00. I liked these because they have tea tree oil in them, which is an antiseptic- great for keeping spots away and it smells great too!

Do you have any products that you can't do without? I'd love to know x

Glad Rags

Festival style is fairly simple to achieve there are three staples: demin, wellies and some cute, statement jewelery.

Mud, mud glorious mud! It wouldn't be a festival without it but it does mean that the only footwear to be seen is a pair of Wellies! Mine are the ordinary green boots on the right, they are fine for walking the dogs in winter but for festival fashion I love my sister's gorgeous purple Hunter wellies on the left! Hunters have been seen on fashion icons such as Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow, so if you'll be sporting them this summer you'll be in good company!

Denim shorts are always a festival must have, personally I don't think I have the legs for them so I'm firmly glued into my skinnies, but if you can carry them off they are part of the ionic festival look seen on the likes of Kate Moss and Alex Chung. They are also practical as they dry much faster than jeans and they can keep you cool in the crowds- it can get surprisingly hot in the middle of all those people! But if like me you'd rather keep those pins covered skinny jeans look just as good with wellies or you can go for a denim skirt. I love the style of this girl from the Way Out West festival in Sweden:

(Picture is from http://www.flickr.com/photos/snbg/2749054123/)

I think this girl's outfit is great, her denim pencil skirt is a good way of bringing denim into your festival wardrobe if you're not quite brave enough to go for the shorts! I had a hunt for a denim skirt like this one but I found it tough to find one that didn't have buttons- I love the simple design of hers if you know where to find one I'd love to know!

A cute piece of statement jewelry is a great way of bringing your outfit together and it can make it look like you've made an effort when really you've just rolled out of your sleeping bag. I saw this necklace on Meganheartmakeup's 'Summer Loves' video in gold and it was love at first sight! It's £5.65 from forever 21 and I think it's got a great tribal/ boho style that would look fantastic at a festival, or at a summer party!

Tacky or Topnotch

Camping at a festival obviously requires a tent and in the endless sea of tents in the campsite it's helpful to have one that stands out but is this tent so bad it's good or is it just plain embarassing? What do you think?

Thanks for reading

♥ you! xox

Exlovers, Lipcote, Wedges and Busted

Hi, and welcome to my third post! Thanks to all my lovely followers and everyone who is reading this ♥ you all!

Record that Rocks

This post my record that rocks is by a gorgeous band from London called Exlovers, I first saw them in Leeds about a month ago supporting Noah and the Whale at the Leeds met uni union. They set the scene brilliantly for what was a very chilled out gig and this song makes me relax every time I hear it I feel like I'm stretching out under the summer sun, that is unfortunately absent from Yorkshire at the moment!

They remind me a bit of Passion Pit and Two Door Cinema Club with a bit of Florence and the Machine thrown in so if you are into those kind of chilled out bands I'd give these guys a listen. If you liked this song try 'Blowing Kisses' and 'Photobooth'.

I'd love to know what you thought of my record that rocks! Comment below, drop me an email or let me know on Twitter ♥

In The Eye of the Beholder

I do have a tendency, at times, to be a bit slow, I'm usually the one who takes about 20 minutes longer than everyone else to get the punchline of a joke. So forgive me if you've already heard how awesome this product is (it has been around for 50 years!) but I've only just realised how great it is so this is for anyone else who, like me, is sometimes a bit slow to catch on!

Lipcote is a clear liquid that you paint onto your lips over your lipstick and it seals it, aiming to, protect it against wear throughout the day. It's not perfect, it does kind of dry your lips out but I wore it last week and my lipstick lasted all day, including lunch without re-applyinging once, in my opinion thats pretty miraculous! And at £3.19 from Superdrug it's a beautiful bargain.

My long treaured body shop perfume finally sprayed it's last fragrant puff earlier this week. While I loved my trusty Neroli Jasmine body mist, I felt it was time to invest in some proper perfume and I had been saving up for a while so I headed to Harvey Nichols. I have never bought anything from this shop before and it did feel very luxurious. I took me a long time to decide between Daisy by Marc Jacobs and Love by Chloe but I finally settled on Love.

It cost £39 for 30ml, it was the same price in Boots, it's an eau du parfum so it is a bit more expensive than an eau du toilette but it is also more concentrated so hopefully the fragrance will last longer. It's quite a subtle delicate perfume with a gorgeous floral fragrance with musky, woody hints. In my opinion everyone needs a bit of Love in their lives!

Do you have a new favourite perfume if you do please let me know what it is and why you ♥ it so much.

Glad Rags

Wedges are a major footwear trend for summer and I just had to invest in a pair:

I got these beauties about a month ago and I'm a little divided over them. They are a lovely powder pink colour, I like the cute little ankle strap and they are without a doubt much more comfortable to wear on a night out compared to my spiky stilletto heels. But are they to high? They have a massive wedge and I'm not sure if it's too much any opinions? They were around £20 from internationale.

Anyway wedges are undoubtly big this summer let me know if you've found your perfect pair!

My second fashion product is this vintage sheer blouse it was £8 from Blue Rinse a great vintage shop in Leeds.

This is a great wardrobe staple; it can be dressed up for the evening, dressed up for the day. It goes with everything and it's a gorgeous silky material and I love the little pocket detail. All I have to do now is stop myself from spilling anything down the front of it!

Tacky or Topnotch

One word: Busted.

Ok so these guys will never be cool but there is something undeniably loveable about cheeky James, naughty Matt and gorgeous Charlie that made up the threesome that was Busted. The question is whether it is acceptable to put a sneaky collection of their songs onto your iPod or would that be as bad as being discovered playing with barbies while eating tubby toast?

I'd love to know what you think.

Thanks for reading

Love you! xox

Record that Rocks

Hello and welcome to my second post:)

My record that rocks this time is called ‘Nightdiving’ by the Camden band Tribes they are an awesome new rock band from London. I first heard this band on Zane Lowe’s show on Radio One a couple of months ago and I loved them from the first listen, this song is a perfect summer chilling out song. They are in the same vein as bands like the Pixies, R.E.M. and T-Rex, so if that’s your scene check these guys out. They initially relied more on word of mouth than internet presence to attract fans but as their fan base grows they have become easier to find online.

Tribes also featured on NME’s 50 best new bands of 2011 list at number 11, I think 2011 is going to be a good year for this band and I can’t wait to hear more from them. And hopefully go to one of their gigs as it looks like they put on a fantastic show (and they’ve got some pretty hot band members!). I was gutted when their recent tour didn’t bring them to Leeds hopefully I’ll catch them next time round!

Anyway let me know what you think of this track if you liked it check out 'we were children' and if you’ve been lucky enough to see these guys live please let me know what you thought! x

In the eye of the beholder

It was a gorgeously sunny day in Yorkshire yesterday- a fairly rare occurrence! Anyway the sunny weather made me realise that my make up collection could do with a bit of an update with some more summery shades, particularly eyeshadow so my first summery make up purchase was this Rimmel eyeshadow in shade 160 ‘Punchy Taupe’:
I love the shade of this eyeshadow

This is a lovely shade for summer it’s a sparkly subtle pinky shade that would be cute with a summer outfit for a daytime look but could easily be glammed up for a night out by blending it with some bolder colours. The only thing I would say it that it is quite a subtle shade, this may be what you like if so this is a great eyeshadow for you but if you prefer punchier shades I might go for another colour. But I think overall this is a cute, wearable eyeshadow for summer. It cost £3.99 from Xtras.
Rating ***

I am addicted to nail polish and I can never resist an oppourtunity to expand my collection. This Rimmel lasting finish nail polish in Perfect Plum was my second purchase of the day:

This isn’t a particularly on trend shade with this summer focusing more on eye-popping brights and coral shades but this is a nice purple colour that gives great coverage and a gorgeous glossy finish and a good purple nail polish is always in! It’s also a more subtle shade for work- compared to the coral featured in my last post. Which is great since my ecclectic bright nail polish collection has been drawing a few raised eyebrows!

I’ve also got a pretty white summer dress and I think this nail polish will go well with the dress and complete the look well. All I need now is the sunshine:) This was £1.99 also from Xtras
Rating ****

If you’ve got a favourite new summer make up purchase I’d love to know!

Glad Rags

Although I ♥ the high street I do love a good Vintage or second hand shop for more unique pieces that I’m unlikely to see anyone else in on the street.
This Planet Hollywood T-shirt was a charity shop find:

I know that some people aren’t fans of charity shops and second hand stores and I can understand that but as a teenager on a limited budget with a passion for fashion I enjoy a good hunt through my local charity shops for a hidden gem and I think this top is great. I love statement T-shirts and I like the studded sparkly detail on this one a lot. It is quite a short top and it is quite tight around the neckline. But a pair of scissors and a sewing machine can easily fix the neckline and cropped tops are in this season! So I can’t wait to pair this top with a vest top and my skinnies or some high waisted shorts and best of all it was a baragin at only £1!


Returning to the high street I’m seriously lusting after this Urban Outfitters purse:

Tribal print is a major trend for this season, particularly for festival fashion and this flat purse is a great way to include the trend in your outfit. The only drawback with this purse is that it’s very thin so if I pull together the funds for it I might need to clear out my bulging purse but it’s so pretty I think it’s worth it! If you feel the same it’s £18 from Urban Outfitters.

Do you love second hand fashion too or are you strictly a high street shopper?

Tacky or Topnotch?

In this part of my blog I share something either beauty, fashion or music related (or totally random!) that I just can’t decide if it’s seriously tacky or so bad it’s good please let me know what you think!

This post I’m looking to the bum bag. They’ve been seen on the catwalk and celebs have been spotted wearing them but  are they cutting edge cool or best left on for those who rock the sandal and sock look?

Thanks for reading.
Love you! xox

Big Sleep, Coconut oil, Crop tops and a Sailor Mug!

Hi, welcome to my first post! 

Record that Rocks

In this part of my blog I’m going to share a song or artist that I think rocks- fairly self explanatory really:) 
This week I’d like to show you a band called B I G  S L E E P. They are an awesome band from Manchester I saw then in October last year at the cockpit in Leeds supporting One Night Only. They put on a great show they were originally called drive like i do but they have changed their name. However they are very elusive as they are surprisingly hard to find online but rumour has it that they are planning to release a single soon so fingers crossed! I can’t wait to hear more from this fantastic band! 

This is a song called ghosts its one of there more recent singles. If you like it try some their other songs ‘chocolate’ and ‘sex’ they are both great tunes! (UPDATE- these guys have re-named for a third time to become The Slowdown)

I meant Record that Rocks to feature just one song but it seems that I can going to break my rules before my first post is even finished:) My friend recently sent me a link to the song ‘Another heart calls’ by All American Rejects and the Pierces it’s sweaty and sexy and everything a live performance should be and I love it to bits
so I just had to share it! Hope you love it too!

I’d love to hear what you thought of my Record(s) that Rock please let me know what you thought! xx

In the eye of the beholder

Superdrug’s new loyalty card was the perfect excuse for a splurge at my local store here’s a couple of my favourite purchases:

 

Coral is a major trend in nail polish this season and I like this Barry M shade, it’s quite reddish and I would maybe prefer a slightly more orange shade but it provides good coverage and it’s pretty hard wearing- which is always great! You can see by the amount that has been used out of this bottle that it has been popular with me and my sister so that was defiantly a good buy! 
Rating: ***

This is a product that I absolutely love its a solid coconut oil, the smell of coconut always reminds me of holidays and summer so the scent alone makes this my new favourite hair product! But more practically I’ve been growing my hair out and it getting quite long so I’ve been straightening it much more regularly that I had been and I’ve found that it’s making my hair quite dry and damaged- particularly at the ends and I wanted something to try and improve the situation. I put a bit of this oil on the ends of my hair a few hours before I wash it and it’s worked a treat! My hair is much smoother and softer and it smells like coconut- bonus:) It is quite hard to get the product out of the jar but if you shove it in the microwave for a few seconds it’s much easier and best of all it’s only a couple of pounds a jar- bargain! 
Rating ****

Have you found any products that you think are better that sliced bread? I’d love to hear about them:) xxx

Glad Rags

With the arrival of June me and some friends went for a shopping trip to update our wardrobes in preparation for a summer that will hopefully arrive soon!  So here is a sample of what I bought in Primark:

I love my river island black bag and it’s the perfect size for all my stuff but I found that it was a bit too heavy to wear with summer dresses so I needed an alternative to my black bag for the summer months and I love this cute little bag. The flower detailing is lovely and its big enough to fit my purse, phone and ipod in- which is great! And it was a steal at £4! It’d also be great for festival goers as you defiantly don’t want to have to drag a big bag around when you are in festival crowds:)

As you might be able to tell from the name of my blog I love swallows and I just couldn’t resist this pretty bird brooch, I adore brooches and badges and I think they can add a fantastic point of interest in an outfit and I think this cute little brooch will look great with some of my summer outfits.

Showing a bit of midriff is a big trend this season and crop tops and bra tops have been seen in loads of fashion magazines: (http://www.elleuk.com/starstyle/celebrity-trends/(section)/everyone-s-wearing-cropped-tops)
and celebrities from Rhianna to Daisy Lowe have been spotted wearing them. But flashing inches of tummy may not be everyone’s cup of tea and this top is a great alternative. Its cut quite short so it reveals a bit of flesh but it’s loose style is flattering and it’s a great colour. I’ve seen similar tops in more expensive shops like Topshop and River Island but this one was just £5  and I’ve worn it on a night out with and on a shopping trip dressed down with my leather jacket and I’ve received several compliments. I love this top and I think its’s really easy to wear:) 
Are you a fan of flashing some tummy flesh or are you keeping it well hidden this summer? What do you think of the crop top trend? 

Tacky or Topnotch?

In this, final, section of my blog  I’d like your opinions on something music, beauty, fashion related(- or just something random) that I’ve found but I can’t quite decide if it’s really tacky or so bad its good:)

This is my latest find- 

I’ve started collecting bit and pieces of stuff to take to university with me in September when I found this sailor mug I kind of love it just because it’s so strange but what do you guys think? Should it come with me or should it stay at home with my S Club 7 Cds?
Thanks for reading I can’t wait to hear from you, Love you
xox