June Favourites

Before we get too far into July, I wanted to get this post out. 

 I can't stop using these two backpacks at the moment!

The green one is from Glastonbury 2013. My auntie gets to go for free every year and she bought me it as a gift. I'm currently using it to carry my Macbook around. 

Swagger Jagger by Cher Lloyd just came on my Spotify... I don't know how to feel about this but I felt I had to let you know.

*Changes to Misfits*

The other bag is from Topshop. I bought it back in April with my birthday money. Does anyone else love the month that their birthday falls into? April is my favourite month of the year and I love being an Aries. I think about it all the time - it's kinda weird actually.

Mm. Freddos. Freddos are like 20p in my local shop now. Total rip off but I love them.

I've also been loving the Options Additions hot chocolate. It comes in two sachets for 20p in Asda. The first sachet contains a creamy Belgian chocolate and the second sachet has the exciting bits - milk chocolate flakes, marshmallows and milk chocolate crispies. Oh god, it's good. Indulgent but lovely (especially with a Freddo dipped in).

I have only been drinking from my Adventure Time Marceline mug for a while now. I love it so much. Hot drinks or cold drinks - it's all I'm using.

You may or may not know that Company is my favourite magazine. I've loved it for years and the rebrand just made it 100 times cooler. I'm a subscriber so I got my copy just before the end of June. I read it in one sitting over hot chocolate and a freddo with a lyric-less guitar playlist. It felt so peaceful.

 Say "hello" to my little friend!

I've been after a ty Pikachu for a while but they are all quite rare and selling for at least £30. I got this cutie for £10.60 on eBay! It sounds really sad but he is causing me many a sleepless night. I keep waking up, noticing him on my bedside table and just staring at him with a huge grin on my face for ages. It's really lame.

If you have a pet, you may have lifted them up to a mirror to show them what they look like... I find myself making sure Pikachu can see himself when I watch Pokémon.

I'm ashamed to have admitted that but I'm not going back now. NO SHAME.

My favourite film is A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick. I have owned the book for a while but I finally decided to read it and oh lordy, is it good. I haven't quite finished it yet though. I love A Clockwork Orange so much that I went as Alex (the main protagonist) last Halloween (see below). I love this photo. I don't look great and my lipstick has pretty much rubbed off but look who I'm with?! Zoidberg! God, I was drunk that night and it was great.

I subscribed to Elle this month in an attempt to save myself a bit of dough. I don't want to miss an issue and I'll save a few quid and get prettier covers. With my subscription came this 30ml bottle of Lacoste Eau de Sensuelle. It is described as having a floral scent so I was all prepared to give it away but I absolutely love it! It's the first floral perfume I have come across that doesn't give me an instant headache! For those of you who understand perfume technical talk, here's the low-down:

Heart notes: Turkish Rose, Sweet Pea, Gladiolus Inflexus

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Tart Blackcurrant

Base notes: Nougatine, Amber

Scent: Floral

Feel: Elegant

Heart notes? Base notes? What? I don't get it but I can totally understand the "elegant" part!

My trusty old Gok Wan specs broke the other day. I was expecting it. I've had the same pair for about 4 years and they were too weak for me anyway. Unfortunately, I'm not in the greatest financial position right now and I really begrudged having to spend money on these but I guess I need them sooo...

They were £152 with the lenses and student discount from Vision Express. I could've opted for a cheap pair but I didn't like any of them. There was a Versace pair which were just beaut but I decided that black was too harsh for me so I went for these Ted Baker ones. It feels great to be able to see again so that's why I put them in my favourites.

I've always struggled with foundation. I have quite sensitive skin and most foundations turn me into one big rash. Just after turning 19, I found a powder foundation by MAC which is totally fine with my skin. I've been using it ever since - until I found this little baby. This is the YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation. I personally prefer the finish that a liquid gives so I was super excited to start using this. My favourite thing about it? You don't need a lot to get good coverage but it still looks really natural. I use the shade BD40. I think I may have found my soulmate...

It retails at £30.50 and honestly, I think it's a bargain.

People always ask me why I like YSL so much. The answer? Everything is just perfect. I have tried so many different eyebrow pencils and gels and creamy horrible things and I just hate the way my brows look when they are penciled in. I don't wear makeup often so it makes me feel even more stupid. But this is amazing at £19.50. I've used it several times but as you can see, it has barely gone down... And it's two in one: a pencil on one side and a spiral brush on the other.

I have been loving (and I mean really loving) the MAC Viva Glam II lipstick (£15) and the Boldy Bare lip pencil (£12.50). They go so well together. I usually wear bright colours but it's been nice to opt for a more natural lip. MAC lipsticks are so creamy and the smell reminds me of the doughnuts on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach (an amusement park in my hometown).

The final thing I have been loving is this Tea Tree Oil from The Body Shop. Summer causes me to breakout in millions of tiny spots on my nose and forehead. I never get cheek spots but I've had about 5 this past month. I have been using a tea tree face wash for a while but I haven't had a pot of the oil for about a year and I have definitely noticed the difference. This stuff is great.

What have you guys been loving this June?

The problem with VOGUE

Like most other magazines, VOGUE has adapted itself throughout the years to accommodate its ever changing audience. We are modern. We are not the women of 1892, when Vogue was founded. This is the twenty-tens...

But nowadays, British Vogue has mostly celebrities and the occasional model on its cover. I cannot comment on the U.S, Parisian, Italian or any other editions of Vogue, but I can comment on the one in my country. As beautiful as Claire Danes (November 2013), Kristen Stewart (October 2012), Beyoncé (May 2013) and Adele (October 2011) looked as Vogue cover stars, I cant help but pine for models.

I'm an avid Elle and Company reader. I can't get enough. I love their mix of cover girls. I love how Company has bloggers, young new models, singers and actresses on its cover - my feelings are the same towards Elle. Both contain intelligent copy, great items of clothing and luscious beauty products and I love them for what they are. Yes, they have changed over the years. In fact, Company had a massive design change, seeing its size, paper and content (both written and visual) adopt a younger, edgier feel. For some reason, I can accept these changes.

I picked up this month's issue of Vogue (July 2014) and couldn't put down the glossy until I had read every single page. Why? It's simple. The cover star.

Christy Turlington.

For those who may not know, Turlington is a 45-year-old American model who represented Calvin Klein for 20 years amongst many other campaigns, including Versace. Oh, and if you have your belly button pierced, you can thank her for bringing hype to the piercing at a 1993 fashion show.

A model. Turlington is a model and for that, July 2014's Vogue was 100% amazing.

I'm aware that I'm probably in the minority when I say this, but I firmly believe that actresses and musicians should not make it as cover stars on this glossy. That job should be left to models. To me, they are fashion. They are beauty. They are VOGUE.

 In all fairness to British Vogue, they have had a fair few models on the cover lately but I want more. I understand that Vogue needs to change. It needs to keep its readership and most women of today are interested in celebrity fashion and news. For this reason, I understand the move. I can also accept seeing actresses or musicians inside the magazine... But not the cover.

Do you agree that Vogue is a model's world or do you like the beaut celeb cover girls?

Let me know what you guys think in the comments and please excuse the little hot chocolate stain on my desk in the second picture! I didn't notice it.

What's in my bag?

My absolute favourite YouTube videos and blog posts are those which delve into the contents of a woman's handbag. I love seeing that I'm not the only one who carries 50 crumpled up receipts and a ridiculous amount of pens and pencils. So, I have decided to make my very own "What's in my bag?" blog post! Yay! 

Luckily for me, I decided this morning to switch bags. I usually use a black Marc B slouch bag (which you can buy here for £49). It's my go-to black bag because it is pretty big and I love the leopard lining. However, today I swapped into my orange Topshop satchel (no receipts in this bag!). I bought it back in July 2013 so I can't remember the exact price, but I think it was about £39. 

The photo quality is a bit rubbish because I don't have a proper camera and I'm having to use my iPhone 4S. In case anyone wants to know, I like to use the long strap to carry this bag. I always use the long straps on a bag. I find the short straps slip off my shoulders!

So here's what's inside...

As you can see, I never carry makeup. If you have read my blog post about my sensitive skin (which you can read here), you will know that I own a lot of makeup but I don't wear it during the day very often. I'd like to apologise to those of you who wanted to see my daily makeup collection - maybe I will do a "What's in my makeup bag?" post soon! 

So, going anticlockwise from the top -

• Gok Wan spectacles (which I'm blind as a bat without) and a neon pink Topshop glasses case.
• My house keys on a Tiffany & Co keyring... Yes, I do have a crude keyring on there too - but that keyring has saved me from losing my keys TWICE.
• Two thin black bobbles and two hair grips.
• My back-up necklace from Topshop, just in case I fancied a change.
• My phone case (I had to use my iPhone to take photos).
• A tub of Carmex - my little life saver!
• A tube of Virasorb - always happy to have packed this in the event of a cold sore break out!
• My gym locker padlock and key. If I don't have it in my bag 24/7, I'll forget it!
• My purse of 4 years which started to break earlier this week *sob*
• Apple earphones which I like to keep in a little house so they won't break like the previous 100 pairs that I bought!
• Shorthand notepad - compulsory handbag accessory for any budding journalist!
• A black pen, green sparkly pen and a pencil. The pencil is for shorthand.
• Pencil sharpener with a woodland animals print.
• Odd Molly aviator sunglasses with case - yes, I carry sunglasses in Winter! 
• Purple leather Filofax
•                  March 2014 issue of COMPANY magazine (I WILL work there one day!).

Sorry my handbag contents aren't that exciting... But here's a side shot of my Odd Molly sunnies:

Aren't the arms preeeetty?! The flash made the colours look a bit weird though. 

Hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know what you think and if I should do a "What's in my makeup bag?" post!