january favourites

You've probably read about 500 of these posts already, but I thought, why not join the party? It's also a bit late, but I've had a load of uni stress recently which has stopped me from blogging as much as I'd like. I'm gonna run through the top 5 things that have really impressed me this month. It's a mixture of a couple of things I got for Christmas and a few more I bought myself in the sales.

St. Tropez Everyday Face Lotion (in Light/Medium)

£14

In winter I tend to get extremely pale, which, when paired with really light hair, can often make me seem a little ghost-like. I'm a big fan of the St. Tropez body fake tan, so decided to take a chance on this while it was in the Superdrug sale. I don't use it enough to make it look like I have a proper tan (just a nice slightly-bronzed look), but if you used it everyday I feel like it could. The texture is really creamy and it doesn't really smell, which is always a good thing for face products.

AIR Motion Hairbrush

£11.95

Since I was introduced to the Tangle Teezer a good 4 or 5 years ago, I don't think I've actually used another brush until this year. But on recommendation from her hairdresser, my mum bought me this for christmas and it's basically a better version of the Tangle Teezer. The main improvement is the handle- it makes it so much easier to detangle those serious messes!

Topshop Lipstick in Inhibition

£8

After stealing my flatmate's Mac Rebel lipstick a few times last term, I decided to dip my toe in the water and buy this topshop lipstick. Firstly, I love the topshop design, plus it wasn't too expensive if it turned out I didn't wear it that much. But I LOVE IT. It's my go to colour on a night out, the texture is great, and although I generally do reapply it a couple of times when I'm out, unless there's a lot of eating involved it stays on like a dream. Unfortunately, this shade isn't being sold anymore, but I've linked a very similar shade called Wicked (although it may possibly be a little redder).

Diorskin Nude BB Creme

£30

Until very recently, my foundation of choice was the Diorskin Forever Liquid Foundation (it's now run out, so I'm gonna try a few new ones to mix things up a bit), so when looking around for a nice BB cream, I knew I could trust Dior. This BB cream has the perfect coverage for wearing during the day, when I find most foundations to be a bit heavy, and it's also a great base for under foundation in the evening. Despite the hefty price tag, one pump is generally all I need for my whole face, so it's lasted a decent amount of time.

Origins Super Spot Remover

£15

After the excesses of the Christmas holidays I noticed a few stray spots, so decided to browse around for a targeted spot gel to add to my routine (which you can read about here!) This Origins Super Spot Remover is a god send- the first night I used it my spot dried up over night! Even though it's very dinky, a little goes a long way.

Link me up to any of your January favourite posts below! I've love to have a read!

the stable

I've decided to change things up a bit from the usual fashion & make-up posts, so this is the first of many posts on places I love in Bristol. The usual posts will be back shortly (look out my January favourites later this week!), I want to do more recommendations, especially in Bristol as a) I love eating and b) I find posts like this really useful on other people's blogs. If you're into food blogs, it can sometimes seem like London is the only place that exists, but there's some fantastic places here in Bristol, so if you're ever around in area I can recommend some gems! 

Earlier this week I went to The Stable down at the Harbourside to see a couple of old friends. As you see above, they pride themselves on their pizza, pies and cider. Although I haven't had a pie there, I can fully confirm the other two are amazing. On Tuesday they do a 'Tuck in Tuesday' deal where you can get any pizza, unlimited salad and half a pint of cider for £10, which isn't half bad. 

The restaurant is set in a large open plan warehouse, with long shared tables. It's a very friendly atmosphere, but we weren't too cramped- I like the idea of shared tables but you really don't want to be elbowing small children while trying to tuck into your pizza! One of the friends I went with actually came here on a first date and got sat next to quite a loud family, so possibly it's better for more casual groups. You can't book if you're less than 5 people, but we arrived at 8 and were seated in about 10 minutes after getting a drink at the bar. 

Food wise, the pizzas were fantastic. I went for the Harbour Herbivore (roast potato, blue cheese, Spanish onion & spinach) which I greatly enjoyed- but I kinda wish I'd gone with my flatmates's recommendation and got the Fresh Hawaiian (ham, pineapple, avocado & chilli)- one of guys sitting next to us got it and it looked increeeeedible. My friends went for the Longhorn Jim (ground beef, chorizo, mushroom, red onion & ham) and the Billy the Kid (goat's cheese, onions, mushrooms & spinach) and you tell how much we enjoyed them by the fact we made plans to come back in a months time for another round!

All in all, I would definitely recommend The Stable if you're looking for a chilled atmosphere but top quality pizza. The pizza had thin crusts (personally, I prefer them), so don't expect the thick doughiness of your average take-away pizza, but the options were great and the cider was top notch (I went for the Bee Sting which was quite sweet but very very tasty).

They have restaurants all over the South West, including Falmouth, Fistral Beach, Weymouth, Bath, Bridport & Poole. For more info, you can visit their website at stablepizza.com

Photos by me & from stablepizza.com

zara & whistles spring/summer collection 2015: key pieces

It's easy to look out of the window from my bed (with two duvets) and think that spring is just round the corner. Here in Bristol, there are bright blue skies and a predicted high of 8C later today- and I don't like to let anything like the fact it's still January get in my way of looking forward to warmer times.

With this optimism/naivety in mind, I've been browsing through the high street spring/summer collections for inspiration for when it's actually appropriate to wear skirts and coats that don't have thermal insulation.

My two favourite high street stores for s/s have to be Zara and Whistles. I'm not a big fan of decade-dressing, but with designers from Tom Ford to House of Holland embracing the 70s look, I feel I could work it into a minimal wardrobe via some bright yet unfussy stripes or a throw-back shape, both seen in Zara's collection. Whistles, on the other hand, went for a collection after my own heart, with geometric cuts and a monochrome and pastel palette.

I've picked out a few of my favourite pieces from both collections which maaaay be making their way into my wardrobe in the near future (although with that Whistle's rucksack, only in my dreams).

ZARA: Side Slit Striped Top £29.99 | Tassels Print Blouse £39.99

ZARA: Checked Cigarette Trousers £25.99 | Printed Flowy Crepe Kaftan £39.99

WHISTLES: Lovebird Jumpsuit in Lilac £60 | Botanical Silk Bomber Jacket £160

WHISTLES: Asymmetrical Soft Shell Top £95 | Verity Large Backpack in Nude £280

Images from zara.com/uk and whistles.com

look 4

A.P.C Supply T-Shirt | Urban Outfitters/Staring at Stars Jumper | Topshop Leigh Jeans | Nike Free 5.0 Trainers | Primark Hat (similar)

I've finally finished my uni exams, but unfortunately coursework deadlines loom so there's no rest for the wicked yet. Here's an outfit I've been wearing a lot recently. The back on this jumper is fantastic and really add something extra to an otherwise fairly standard black jumper. And it's currently in the UO sale for just £15! I picked up this t-shirt from the A.P.C store in Paris last summer and I have to admit you can notice the amazing quality that comes with paying a bit more. I'm planning on doing a post later this week about places I recommend in Paris as I've been a fair few times, anything in particular you'd like to hear about?

Send me a link to any of your recent outfit posts in the comments below- I'd love to get some inspiration for the upcoming weeks!

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skincare

Inspired by one of my favourite features over at into the gloss, here's my 'top shelfie'- aka the skin and care products I use all the time (you can see the endlessly fascinating list of the 'official' top shelfies here).

Firstly, a little about my skin. On the one hand, I'm lucky enough to have fairly normal skin, never oily and only dry in small patches in deep winter. However, that luck is evened out by a ever persisting curse of spots- urgh bane of my life. They were worse as a teenager, kept in check by a steady stream of chemicals. Nowadays, I get the odd breakout especially round my chin, and especially around my time of the month (or if i've been slacking on the healthy eating).

In the morning I love to use Clarin's Gentle Foaming Cleanser with Cottonseed (£19) because it makes your skin feel soooo clean. Although I read somewhere that the squeaky clean feeling isn't actually the best thing for your skin I LOVE IT. I follow this up with a broad sweep of La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo (£15.50) over my entire T zone. I find this isn't quite effective enough to tackle actual spots, but it seems to do a good job of keeping my slightly-less-problem areas, like my forehead & nose, under control. To actually deal with those pesky spots, I use Origins Super Spot Remover (£15). I've only been using this for a couple of weeks after a breakout over christmas I like to blame on chocolate, cheese and wine (not a winning combination for someone who's lactose intolerant). I'm gonna do a full review in a couple of weeks once I've tested it properly but I had massive improvements just over night when I first put it on!

To finish up my morning routine I use Vichy Idealia Life Serum (£29.95) followed by Korres Wild Rose 24-hour Moisturiser for Dry/Normal Skin (£20). I was lucky enough to receive the Vichy serum for my birthday last year, as it's pretty pricey. I find it hard to measure the effect of individual products, but it does seem to keep my skin tone even and bright. It feels really luxurious when putting it on, and the slight pearly sheen makes your skin look super fresh immediately afterwards. Plus one pump is generally enough for the whole face which means it seems to last for ages. The korres moisturiser was actual bought in Athens airport after my skin was nice and salty and dry after a holiday but I regret nothing. Easily my favourite moisturiser I've ever used, it's not too thick (which I find important when you don't have dry skin), it smells fantastic and layers really well.

In the evening, I begin by using Bioderma Sensibio H2O (£9.99 for 250ml) to remove most of my makeup. I bought it in Paris, but it's so easy to get in the UK now. I hate oily make-up removers and find this one works great, although I do find I need to do another round of make-up removing post cleansing. In the evening I use La Roche Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel (£11.50) with my Konjac sponge (£7.99). I picked up a Konjac sponge half price in the Fenwicks sale because I remembered I'd seen it in on of Lily Pebble's haul videos. It's kind of strange but I actually really love using it, even by itself it makes your skin feel really soft and exfoliated. After this I sometimes use La Roche Posay Effaclar Astringent Micro-Exfoliant Lotion (£12) as long as my skin isn't feeling too dry. My evening routine is then completed by some more Effaclar Duo + Origins Super Spot Remover.

Other stuff I use regularly include Boots Botanic Fast Absorbing Hand Cream (£1.93), St. Tropez Bronzing Mousse (£20.49), St. Tropez Gradual Tan Face Lotion (£14) and my Berocca (Mango flavour, £4.79) & vitamins (ABC plus from Holland & Barrett, £7.25 for 120) . I get through hand cream at a pretty rapid pace, so I dislike spending lots of money on them haha. This one is really easily absorbed, smells nice but isn't too strong, and that price can't be beaten. For fake tanning, I love the St. Tropez range because it goes on super easy, it's a really nice shade on my otherwise extremely pale skin and doesn't seem to streak unless I do it in like 20 seconds before I go out (I can only blame myself). They are quite expensive but whenever I need to buy it there always seems to be a sale on in either boots or superdrug, so make sure to shop around.

On the bottom shelf I keep my cheaper skin care products. These are the ones I found worked when I was a teenager, but now I'm a bit older and actually have an income (/student loan) I really like using more expensive skin care. I have probably got through countless bottles of Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Wash (£3.50) and would recommend it to anyone looking for a really good daily cleanser on a budget. I also found the Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing Toner (£2.99) helped calm my skin down during particularly bad breakouts. I also keep a spare pot of Ponds Cold Creamer Cleanser (£5.49) just because (the one I have is the old packaging... I should probably chuck that). I also have my two favourite moisturisers, an old Johnson's moisturiser I can't seem to find anywhere and Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion (£3.99).

Hope you enjoyed having a little peek into my skincare essentials! What are you favourite beauty buys? Do you prefer expensive cleansers and lotions or budget drugstore classics?

look 3

H&M Shirt | Topshop Leigh Jeans | River Island Shoes | H&M Scarf (similar) | Michael Kors Watch (similar) | Aldo Rings & Urban Outfitters Rings

Just a quick outfit of the week post since I'm now back at university and in the midst of exams (urgh). I was working in London this weekend and managed to take a few photos despite the wind. You should see the number of photos where I'm crying or blinking or just generally looking grumpy.

I've never been one for delayed gratification, so you may notice that a few of these items are on the winter wishlist I posted last week... whoops.

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winter/spring wish list

So the student loan has come in and exams are looming which can mean only one thing: I’ve spent waaaaay too long doing some online window shopping. I've managed to whittle my list down to 9 'essentials' for the next couple of months:

1) ASOS Faux Fur Jacket with Funnel Neck £70

It’s currently pretty chilly in England, but surprising dry, which is ideal weather for a nice faux fur jacket. There’s some great ones on the high street, including this black one from Whistles that is currently on sale, but I love this one from ASOA because the soft pink is such a gorgeous colour for winter. This would make the trek from home to lectures much easier to bear!

2) H&M Straight Shirt £14.99

I’ve had a monochrome shirt on my wish list for a while, and this one from H&M perfectly blurs the line between office wear and pirate. Zara also has something similar.

3) Zara Seamed Miniskirt £25.99

I'll be the first to admit a preference for jeans, trousers and leggings over a skirt or dress, but this skirt from Zara really caught my eye. I love the fabric and pattern, and I think it would look super cute poking out from an oversized wooly jumper with tights until the temperatures rise.

4) River Island Black Slip Ons £22

I realised the other day that I’ve worn my Nike Free 5.0s almost every day since I got them in November, so probably need another pair of flat shoes. These slip-ons look really comfy and I find textures like this subtle snakeskin are the perfect way of injecting something extra into all-black outfits.

5) Reason Beanie in Black £18

You lose a lot of body heat through your head, so it’s no surprise that even thinking about putting on a beanie makes me a lot more optimistic about walking home on a dark cold night. Previous beanies have either made me look a) bald or b) about to rob a bank, so I plan on splashing out and getting one that actually looks quite cool.

6) Urban Outfitters I’d Rather Be at the Beach A5 Notebook NOW £10

Although I love technology and use it to organise everything in my life, I’ve never really found an app that quite matches the pure simplicity of writing in a notebook. I’ve just finished my moleskin (this one, £8.50) but I'm undecided between repurchasing the same one, or trying this one from urban outfitters- when do I not wish I was rather at the beach?

7) Topshop Lips in Saint £8

I’ve been wearing a lot of dark or bright lipsticks in the last month, but I’m really feeling a paired-back, natural make-up look for the new year. This nice glossy nude will look great with just a simple line of kohl and lots of mascara, and I think Topshop lipsticks are greatly underrated.

8) NARS Velvet Matt Lip Pencil in Damned £18

In the complete opposite to what I just said above, this colour looks amazing. I'll never get over a dark matt lip, and I’ve heard fantastic things about the NARS lip pencils.

9) Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask £15.75

I don’t know about you, but after the excess of the holidays, everything inside and outside of my body needs a deep cleanse. I used to use the Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser before I switched to Clarins last year, but I loved it’s thick, creamy consistency and the natural ingredients. From what I’ve heard, this mask follows suit.

Have you been inspired by any of the things on my wish list? I’d love to hear what you have planned to buy to tide you over until spring!!