OUTFIT | #218

blazer, jeans: Topshop; top: Zara; shoes: Dr Martens

I had a day at home applying to jobs and attempting to be productive today. I've finished my degree and worked my last shift at my university job. Literally all there is left for me to do at uni is graduate. Hence the job applications. It's time to get productive, I suppose. I'm travelling for basically all of June and I have a temporary job lined up for a few months after that so I suspect my days will be largely centred around filling in applications and sending cover letters for a while. 

To inspire me and get me in the mood for lots of job hunting, I decided to dress up smarter than I typically would for a day at home. Which explains the blazer. Channelling a little of that yuppie vibe to get me through. Hopefully once I get a job, I can also do something about my wardrobe too. I'm feeling so uninspired by my clothes lately. I think my style has changed a fair bit over the past year so I've been piling up old clothes to donate but don't have the time or money to replace them yet, sadly.

SKINCARE | Smooth Summer Skin

One of the compliments I most commonly receive in real life is that I have very smooth skin. In the past, I've struggled with very dry, flakey skin but recently, I've made looking after my skin more of a priority. No one likes the tight, uncomfortable feeling of dry skin, especially in the warm summer months. These are the products I consistently use every time I bathe to ensure that my skin feels soft and smooth. 

SOAP & GLORY CLEAN ON ME SHOWER GEL

I've mentioned my love of this product on the blog before. Since discovering this shower gel, I've never deviated from it. It smells fantastic and the creamy formula has a built-in body lotion, to ensure that my skin doesn't feel stripped of its natural oils after showering. Plus it helps keep any pesky keratosis pilaris away (a.k.a. the sore red bumps so many of us get on the backs of our upper arms).

SOAP & GLORY THE BREAKFAST SCRUB

I tend to use this product predominantly on my legs before shaving. I don't shave my legs daily, mostly because I'm not overly bothered about having smooth-shaven legs 24/7. A little bit of stubble never hurt anyone. (Although I'm not confident enough to work the no-shave look.) When I do, I rub a small amount of this into my skin to remove any dead skin and help prevent painful ingrown hairs.

THE BODY SHOP BODY BUTTER

Immediately after I get out of the shower, I moisturise my entire body using this body butter. I have no particular scent preferences; they're all incredible. In the summer I favour fruity scents, like clementine or papaya, while in the winter I lean towards brazil nut or the super moisturising shea butter formula. No other body moisturiser seems to work quite so well though and I always come back to The Body Shop.

OUTFIT | #217

cardigan: Motel; top: Zara; skirt: H&M; boots: Topshop; watch: Casio

I picked up a bunch of almost identical short-sleeved crop tops for the summer the other day. I found this top in Zara and already regret not picking it up in plain black, as well as this striped version. It's slightly ribbed and is cut lower in the back (but not so low that you can't wear a bra with it, don't worry those of you with a larger bust). I've pretty much decided my summer 'look' is just cropped tops with high waisted skirts or shorts, with the addition of a plaid shirt or cardigan when it gets cold. Mostly because I still can't find many summer clothes I like in stores.

I wore this on a rainy day to go for drinks at the pub with some friends. We've had really good weather lately, with the odd rainstorm. My days mostly consist of working all day and dragging people away from their revision to go to the pub with me in the evenings. There's not a hell of a lot of routine or schedule involved, and it also means I'm stuck in my work uniform a lot. It's not the best. I go away on a few travels in June though so it won't be for much longer, and then I can post about more exciting things again.

RECENT PURCHASES | Blogger Inspired

I'm an avid watcher of YouTube beauty videos and one of my favourite people to watch is Anna, of Vivianna Does Make Up. I really enjoy her style and her make up is typically very on point. As are a lot of her recommendations. Recently she recommended two products that caught my fancy so I picked them up in Boots the other day. They are the Garnier Miracle Skin Cream and the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet liquid lipstick - I picked mine up in the shade 'Hot Pepper'.

I was in the market for a new tinted moisturiser, as my current one is running out. The Garnier Miracle Skin Cream is primarily a moisturiser, from what I gather, with a slight tint to it. I prefer a light coverage on my skin, especially when it's hot, so I thought I'd give this a go. I've used it a handful of times. It comes out of the tube white and turns a beige colour when rubbed into the skin. It is slightly too dark for me currently, but will be perfect in the summer months when I have more colour. My only real qualm with it so far is that it doesn't contain an SPF which, considering this product claims to be anti-ageing, seems a bit of an oversight to me, and that it is only available in one shade that is definitely not universal.

As for the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet, I hands down love it. It's a truly great product. Cheaper than my beloved Stila liquid lipstick, but with a similar, albeit slightly less opaque, effect. It stays on the lips well, is a beautiful colour, and is super affordable too. I want to try one of the more pink shades next I think.

OUTFIT | #216

top: American Apparel; jeans: Topshop Leighs; boots: River Island; watch: Casio; necklace: Gogo Philip

I've been feeling a bit rubbish lately. I think I have a summer cold. It's not been the best. I knew if I stayed home all day, I would just sleep and feel terribly lazy though so I forced myself to get properly dressed and leave the house. Fresh air and seeing people always takes my mind off feeling sorry for myself when I'm slightly unwell. 

I decided to wear this top I just got. It's originally from American Apparel but I wasn't willing to pay the hefty price tag, so I eBayed it. I love the texture. I'm excited to wear it in all-black outfits to make things a bit more interesting. It's the kind of top that's super simple but makes it look like you made a whole lot more effort than you really did. Perfect. I just chucked it on with some super comfy Leigh jeans and a pair of my favourite boots.

OUTFIT | #215

blouse, skirt: Topshop; shoes: Office

I really love these new shoes. They feel very office-wear appropriate, which is good because I'm working in an office over the summer, but also not overly dowdy and boring. I think it's the chunky heel. It's a good look. The only issue is that the sole is ridiculously slippery. We're talking I nearly slip over on the linoleum in my kitchen every time I wear them slippery. I've tried to scratch them up with some sandpaper but it's not totally fixed the issue. Anyone with slippery shoes tips, send them my way please.

Perhaps I'm preparing myself for office wear early. I felt especially preppy in this outfit. I haven't worn this blouse in a good year or so, mostly because it creases so terribly and I didn't feel like ironing it. I'd been baking and cleaning and wearing my pajamas all day so I decided to get dressed up in the evening for no particular reason. Sometimes I like to do that. Nothing makes me feel worse than a whole day spent in my pajamas. It just reminds me of being poorly. 

RECENT FAVOURITES | May 2014

Sleek Blush by 3 in 'Pink Lemonade'

Primark dungarees & Office shoes I've made a few rather successful purchases so far in May. Now I've finished my degree, I'm just working a ton of hours while I try and figure out what the heck to do with my life. Standard soon-to-be graduate stuff. As a bit of a 'yay, I've finished!' treat for myself, I finally picked up the Sleek Blush by 3 palette in 'Pink Lemonade'. I'd been eyeing it up in Superdrug for a while after seeing it on several blogs. I already own one of the Sleek Blush by 3 palettes and really like them, especially for travelling. They're all warm pinks, two powder with a slight sheen and one cream. I've really been leaning away from the peach blushes I typically favour lately and wearing more pinks so I've been using this palette a lot.  I also got really into eBay lately as I was desperately tracking down these Primark dungarees. I'd seen other people wearing them but never found them in store myself. They're so comfy, I also have them in denim. I never want to wear anything but dungarees again. The shoes were also a bargain too from Office. They were reduced from £40 to £25. I'd tried them on in the store when they were full price so I couldn't resist picking them up in the sale. I like that they're slightly formal, almost like school shoes or brogues, but still chunky and a bit out of the ordinary. 

OUTFIT | #214

dungarees: Primark; jumper: borrowed from a friend; boots: Topshop; tights: no idea

This outfit's an odd one, really. This morning I woke up at 7am, dragged myself to the library, and finishing writing the last essay I'll ever submit towards my B.A. As of today, at 11.23am to be precise, I have finished my degree. All I have left to do is graduate. It all feels a bit odd really. I celebrated by going to McDonald's with my housemates and tonight I'm sure I'll being knocking back the tequila and pulling some embarrassing shapes in a club somewhere. A fitting end to my undergraduate years, I feel.

Back to the outfit. I actually wore this yesterday too. Is that gross? I think when final essays are involved, all rules about what is and isn't acceptable to wear go out the window. This jumper isn't even mine. I've worn these dungarees every single day this week. I ran out of tights and found these at the bottom of a drawer, I don't even remember buying them. Definitely an odd week for my wardrobe. I do really love the dungarees though. They're a new firm favourite. Plus they are, without a doubt, one of the comfiest items of clothing I've ever owned.

RECENT FAVOURITES | Spring 2014

I've been considering trying to do monthly favourites on the blog, as I always enjoy when others do that. However I realised that people do their previous month's favourites at the start of the new month, so technically these are my April favourites. But my last Recent Favourites post was called my April favourites. It's all very confusing. I think I went wrong with titles somewhere along the line.

LEVI'S DENIM JACKET

I've wanted an oversized denim jacket for some time now and picked this one up for an absolute steal in Urban Outfitters, after a gift card and some student discount. You can probably tell from the amount of posts it's already featured in that I've really been enjoying it lately. Plus it's big enough that I can wear tons of layers underneath so I can wear this jacket well into the colder months too.

NIKE BLAZERS

These pale blue Nike Blazers were a Christmas gift. Originally I'd wanted them in grey but, unable to find that shade anywhere, opted for pale blue as a close alternative. I'm sure I would have loved them in grey too but, in the end, I'm glad I went for this colour. They're so vibrant compared to the dark tones in my wardrobe, I'm really loving wearing them now it's warming up here.

URBAN DECAY NAKED 3 PALETTE

I've long been a big fan of the original Naked palette from Urban Decay. I even featured it in my Best of 2013 post. Warm toned eyeshadows really suit my pale green eyes so I immediately wanted the Naked 3 palette when it came out. I love the variety of pink hues and the matte highlight shade. The only downside to this palette is, unlike the original, I can't just use it by itself. I have to blend in some matte browns from other palettes or the shades tend to get a bit muddy looking.

ORGANIX MOROCCAN ARGAN OIL

I've had this product a while but only recently been regularly using. I've been trying out new shampoos and my hair's been feeling drier and frizzier as a result. My hair's pretty dry and thick in texture; I can put a lot of product in it without it feeling greasy. So after I've applied my various serums and leave-in conditioners, I like to take a small amount of this and run it through my hair to get rid of any stubborn frizziness leftover.

THE BALM MARY LOU MANIZER

Highlighters are something I only got into the past year or so but now I wear one nearly every day. My skin is very dry so I'm a fan of anything that can give me a bit of a glow. A matte finish is not my friend. This highlighter from The Balm has quickly become my absolute favourite, beating even my old faithful Nars Albatross. It's super natural looking but absolutely beautiful on the skin, without being too much to wear in the daytime.

OUTFIT | #213

jacket: H&M; top, boots: River Island; jeans: Topshop Leigh; watch: Casio

I couldn't tell you the last time I wore this little cropped jacket. It's years and years old, I got it when I was still in sixth form. It used to be one of my favourites but has been forgotten in recent years. I pulled it out today when I needed something quick to throw on when I went to the shops. Not glamourous, by any means. But I liked how it looked with my otherwise pretty simply outfit. 

I just stayed home and did some spring cleaning today. I hadn't been planning on taking any outfit pictures until I put on the jacket. This graphic print t-shirt is one of my favourites, for days at home or nights out. I hate to be the blogger who harps on about how versatile a piece is, but sometimes certain items deserve a mention. I like that it has a bold print but still stays within the colour family I like. No pastels or neons here, thanks.