August 2012 ~ header

8.31.2012

GWEN STEFANI COVERS ELLE UK

This is shaping out to be a good few months for singer Gwen Stafani, what with the upcoming release of her new album No Doubt, her amazing cover of Harper's Bazaar US last month and now her October cover of Elle UK!

This cover, although in my opinion not as great as her Harper's Bazaar cover, is still really great, I'm so excited to see her editorial, I'm now just intrigued as to what the subscribers cover will look like.

Gwen was photographed by Matt Irwin and as soon as I saw this cover I immediately thought; McQ! She wears a piece from the Autumn/Winter 2012 McQ collection and a piece from Peter Pilotto and I have to say, I love this whole look, these pieces are just beautiful.

You can get a sneak peek at her interview here, otherwise, you'll just have to wait for the release!

Are you a fan of Gwen Stefani's October cover of Elle UK? Will you be buying this issue?

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TEN DAY 'YOU' CHALLENGE #05

~~#10 random facts~~ // ~~#09 loves~~ // ~~#08 fears~~ // ~~#07 wants~~ // ~~#06 places~~ // #05 foods // #04

books // #03 films // #02 songs // #01 picture of yourself.

Ooops! I completely forgot I was even doing this challenge...I apologise! For number five it is 'food' and I've taken this as five foods that I like to eat.

1. Fajitas. These have got to be my favourite food, I just love everything about them, especially if you make them with lots of vegetables; peppers, mushrooms, onions.

2. Chicken nuggets. I've actually just finished eating some nuggets tonight, I just love them dipped in tomato sauce...mmmmm.

3. Chicken Korma. But only from one indian takeaway near where I live. I have never found another korma that I actually like.

4. Chocolate fudge cake. This needs no explanation.

5. Ice cream. Chocolate ice cream to be precise and it has to be soft scoop or Ben and Jerry's.

Well, from this I think we can conclude that I like chicken, chicken, more chicken, oh and chocolate! This was actually the most random post I think I've ever written...

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WISHLIST | TOPSHOP

Prime Time Blush

I don't think I've done one of these 'wish list' posts before, but I always enjoy reading them on other peoples blogs and thought, why not do one myself. Plus, browsing Topshop's website yesterday, I realised there were a fair few things that I wanted so here goes.

I'm definitely more of an Autumn/Winter dresser, I guess I just prefer layers? This really is reflected though in this wish list what with this black leather jacket (I'd go for the tall version!) which should be a staple in everyones wardrobe; I do own one, it's just too big...so out with the old and in with this lovely new one from Topshop I think, hopefully soon.

Following the winter theme, I also love this mint/pink oversized jumper which I think could look really good over a collared shirt - maybe a denim one? Speaking of shirts, I saw this blue print shirt on the tall sections and immediately wanted it. The print is very much like that of an old china plate or tea set, but it just looks so so nice even if it does have a rather hefty price tag in my opinion of £38!

Another staple is this black skater skirt; I can't believe I don't town one yet. This will just go with almost anything and I'm thinking, this, the lace socks and chelsea boots? The blazer I've had my eye on for a while but could never justify buying it. I love it, but then I think; will I get my wear out of it? It's still a beautiful piece and I can still wish...

Finally is the much loved and raved about lipstick, Pillow Talk, which I have been wanting to buy for absolutely ages now but have just never gotten around to it.

Do you have a current wish list? Silly question, doesn't everyone?

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INSTAGRAM 015

sweetcorn pasta | ice lolly! | my evening

start with... | bbq americano at pizza hut

dry shampoos!

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MODELS OWN | BALEARIC COOL

Balearic Cool is the newest addition to my nail polish collection and is a bright, almost neon blue shade. This polish is part of the Hed Kandi collaboration and although it's bright, it definitely isn't as neon compared to Beach Party and Hedonist which are serious neon shades - not for the faint hearted!

Now onto the disappointing part. Of all the nail polishes I've tried before, this has to be the worst one is the way of formula. It is a very watery and thin consistency which means it required three thick coats to become opaque enough to be acceptable. This is really surprising because this is the only one I've tried from the Models Own range that has this formula; the rest apply so nicely or at least have a thick formula that's easier to work with.

Even though this polish requires that little bit of extra effort, the finished result is lovely and it has quickly become one of my all time favourites. It's such a statement shade. Quick question, has anyone else noticed that Models Own polishes smell like a lot more like actual wall paint? Maybe this is just me....

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TEN DAY 'YOU' CHALLENGE #06

~~#10 random facts~~ // ~~#09 loves~~ // ~~#08 fears~~ // ~~#07 wants~~ // #06 places // #05 foods // #04

books // #03 films // #02 songs // #01 picture of yourself.

So, I decided to do this one a little bit differently. I couldn't choose whether I wanted to do

six places I've been to or six places I want to go to so I thought I'd share both! I warn you now, the will be a long one but here goes, starting with places I've been to...

1. New York. Going to New York was such an amazing experience, I loved the whole city, busy, aspect and the fact that it is a city full of pretty much everything! My highlights were Times Square, the shopping and just the whole being a part of city life.

2. Florida. I've been to Florida so many times and each of those times it was just as amazing. I've done the usual theme parks - which can I just say are amazing - and water parks thing, the shopping (which is so so good) and international drive which is fun for food and touristy stores. I've also visited Tampa to see a baseball game, NASA and a Nascar race.

3. Rhodes. This was my most recent holiday and of what we saw of Rhodes, it is definitely a pretty place. The beaches are lovely and the little 'towns' are dotted around everywhere with nice restaurants and a lot of jewellery stores. Also the weather was boiling which is always a plus!

4. Paris. I went to Paris with school and it was fun. I was a lot younger then though and think if I were to go again now, I'd definitely appreciate it more. Then, it was all about the Eiffel Tower - which was HIGH! - and just going everywhere but not really bothering. I want to go again to do some shopping!

5. Dominican Republic. This is definitely a mixed place for me and although I enjoyed my holiday, it definitely had bad things about it. It was so so so unbelievably hot and humid, especially at night which isn't always great and then there was the injections you need before you go! I did enjoy seeing the place though, I got to go on quad bikes to see a water cave which was fun. The scary part though was whole surrounding area - that is all I'll say haha.

6. Benidorm. I used to go to Benidorm when I was younger and when it was more of a holiday destination and less of what it is now :S. Its just your typical sunny holiday with the beaches, the little souvenir stores and the days by the pool. One thing, I loved the sand sculptures!

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Now, places I want to go...

1. Los Angeles. I have wanted to go to LA for absolutely ages now, mainly for the Hollywood aspect. The weather is great, the shopping looks so good and of course, I'm secretly hoping, if I do go, that I may see a celebrity or two!

2. Milan. I've been to three of the 'big four' fashion capitals of the world so I just need to visit Milan now! The fashion is a huge part of why I want to visit but also, I think the tourism looks great and I could get some lovely photos :).

3. Tennesse. I am a fan of country music and Tennesse really is the home of this music. I'd love to visit places like Nashville, Memphis and Jackson and then maybe take a trip to Texas too to visit Dallas and Austin.

4. Australia. Although I would be on ninja lookout for all the bugs, I'd still really love to go to Australia. I think it'd be a great experience and to travel to somewhere who are pretty much in the future to us just seems so weird!

5. Venice. It just looks like such a pretty place, this is another one which I'm just dying to take some photographs of.

6. Kenya. The reason I want to go to Kenya is for the safari experiences. This is something I want to do so so badly, I love animals and I think it would be an experience like no other.

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Jumper: Topshop

Skirt: H&M (actually a dress)

Chelsea Boots: Topshop (from eBay)

Belt: Primark

Bracelets: H&M, Forever 21, Avon, Pandora, Gift

Nails: Models Own Beach Party

I wore this outfit to go to Liverpool yesterday to meet with some friends. We ended up in Pizza Hut; mmmmm and then did the usual people watching, store browsing thing.

The weather has been really and down lately; sunny one day and poring down the next. That in mind, I wore all black, but went with a skirt too incase the sun did shine - which it did for a millisecond! This 'skirt' is actually a dress but works just like a skater-style skirt so its the best of both worlds. I really think everyone needs a good few staples in their wardrobe like this one.

Because of the all black, I went with Beach Party on my nails for a huge neon pop of colour. I've been loving Models Own lately, it's actually quickly becoming my favourite nail polish brand - especially now they have a buy of get one half price offer going on! I picked up two more shades, posts to come soon.

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TEN DAY 'YOU' CHALLENGE #07

~~#10 random facts~~ // ~~#09 loves~~ // ~~#08 fears~~ // #07 wants // #06 places // #05 foods // #04

books // #03 films // #02 songs // #01 picture of yourself

1. To work for Vogue. A girl can dream.

2. A white iPhone. I'm waiting for the iPhone 5 to come out though!

3. Teeth whitening treatment.

4. Louis Vuitton Speedy 35. This is my dream bag and it will be mine one day.

5. A pug. They are so adorable!

6. To live in America. Preferably New York or LA.

6. To meet Kate Walsh.

7. A lottery win. Doesn't everyone?

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GOSSIP GIRL | THE FINAL SEASON

Exciting moment of the week! The promotional trailer for the sixth and final (sadness) season of Gossip Girl hard been realised and oh it's good!

Dan tells Serena; "I don't know who you are anymore", Serena appears to marry a totally random guy and Blair tells Chuck, "I'm all in..." with a reply; "...and my bets on us". The drama the drama! Exciting!

****

Half of you reading this probably aren't nearly as excited as I am, but Gossip Girl is one of my all time favourite shows and after the last season being the best yet (my opinion!), I can just tell the final season will go out with a bang.

Do you watch Gossip Girl? Are you looking forward to the final season?

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Ten DAY 'YOU' CHALLENGE #08

~~#10 random facts~~ // ~~#09 loves~~ // #08 fears // #07 wants // #06 places // #05 foods // #04

books // #03 films // #02 songs // #01 picture of yourself.

So, for day eight it's fear time. I didn't feel that I needed to elaborate on my fears; straight to the point is all I think is necessary. Happy that day seven is a lot more of a cheery one!

Here goes...

1. Spiders. Big, small, any.

2. Speaking in front of people. I get beyond nervous.

3. Bridges with holes in. Like piers.

4. The dark. I sleep with a light on.

5. Disappointing my parents. Disappointing anyone really.

6. Horror/scary movies.

7. Heights. or should I say walking on heights.

8. Death/dying.

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MY TOP TEN FAVOURITE SONGS

This is an extremely random post but I was just thinking to myself, I'm really not a music kind of person, I'd much rather watch a movie or a TV show than listen to music. There are though, some songs that I could just listen to over and over again and so I thought I'd do a roundup of my all time top ten songs. Surprisingly this was in fact so difficult to choose just ten and then even more difficult to put them in order! I think that this is near enough the right order so here goes...

10. Speechless – Lady Gaga

This song is just so lovely; but this performance is what really did it for me. Lady Gaga is such an expressive performer, especially so in this song; not only through her appearance but through the emotion that seems to have gone into the whole performance. I love that she just sits and plays the piano, it really lets you listen to the lyrics without any of the distracting things that go into a music video. I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of Lady Gaga's songs, only really her newer stuff, but this is a song I do love.

9. Tonight – Sugarland

I could listen to Sugarland all day, in fact, I have done this once at work! I just knew I had to include one of their songs in this post and of all of them, I came up with 'Tonight' because the whole beat and mood of the song is really uplifting. The vocals in this song are so strong and it has a real anthem feel to it; this is definitely a song I like to play on full volume.

8. Bad Things – Jace Everett

This song is my ring tone and has been since my last year at school. It's not really a complex, meaningful song or anything but it is just so unreliably catchy! As most people, I originally discovered this song from the True Blood opening titles, and it is just the perfect song for that show, what with the southern accent going on and the lyrics. This isn't a song I'd necessarily sit down and listen to, but its definitely one of my favourites to hear every now and again.

7. AmenJena – Nicole Scherzinger

This is a beautiful song with beautiful lyrics. When I think of Nicole Scherzinger, upbeat and almost dance numbers come to mind but this is the total opposite to that. The vocals in this song are just amazing, Nicole really can sing; this song actually changed my opinion of her and made me into a fan!

6. The River – Breed 77

This song is definitely not the type of thing I would usually listen to. The band mainly sticks to the metal/alternative genre but this song starts out very soft giving the lyrics a lot more meaning. This song just grabbed me right from the start though with the flamenco-esque Spanish sounds, it's a weird one really, its such a diverse song and quite different to the bands other songs which definitely lean more to the metal side of things which I'm not such a fan of.

5. The Living Proof – Mary J. Blige

Beautiful. That is the only way to really describe this song. Mary J. Blige sang this song as a soundtrack to the movie The Help, but I discovered it in an episode of Private Practice, it made the episode twice as emotional. This is a song that you need to just sit down and really listen to; its basically about overcoming obstacles in your life, or at least that's how I've interpreted it. The vocals in this song are so pure, this is a song I could just listen to on repeat, it's the type of song that makes great background music too.

4. The Show Must Go On – Queen

I don't really think I need to write much for this song. I mean, Queen are amazing in their own right and need no justification whatsoever. Although I enjoy most of their songs, this one has to be my favourite because I think the lyrics are so powerful and when it gets going, it's such a punchy song. I wish I had been around when Freddie Mercury was alive, I think seeing Queen live would have been quite an experience.

3. It’s All Coming Back To Me Now – Celine Dion

I have been a Celine Dion for years now, I just think her voice is one of the most spectacular of this time. She can honestly sing anything and sound great. This song came very close to my number one position but didn't quite make it because as of late, I haven't been listening to it that much; that is going to quickly change. The vocals in this song send a chill through me and this was the song by Celine that made me into a definite fan. I would have loved to have seen her in concert, if I go to Vegas in the not so distant future I'll definitely be seeing her (not going to happen but I can hope haha).

2. Somebody’s Chelsea – Reba McEntire

I had a huge debate with myself whether to choose this as my number one or the Cher song below. I went with Cher but I want to stress that Reba McEntire's 'Somebody's Chelsea' really is one of my all time favourite songs ever and she is my favourite artist as a whole. This song is from her most recent album and although I love pretty much all of her songs, I chose this one because I like the story of the song. I like this song as a song, but I think some songs just become something so different with a video and this is one of those. Reba's videos all tell the stories of her songs so well, none of her songs are just melody's, they each have a meaning and a story behind them which is what makes her such a good artist.

1. Dark Lady - Cher

1. You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me' - Cher

According to my iTunes, Cher is my most played artist and 'You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me' is the most played song, with 'Dark Lady' being third. I absolutely love pretty much all of her songs, but these two are definitely my favourites (I honestly could not choose between them!). For 'Dark Lady', I love how it tells a story, and isn't just your standard, repetitive, verse, chorus, verse type of song. Until this post, I hadn't ever watched a performance of this song, but having now watched this video, I wish I was around in the 1970s to have seen it in person! As for 'You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me', this song is from the movie Burlesque and is the best part of the whole thing for me. She just sits there and sings, I think it's the combination of her voice, the lyrics and her performance that make this my favourite. I did a full review of Burlesque here.

***

So, that's it! My all time favourite ten (eleven) songs in my 19 years of living. Now that I've written this post, I'm sat here thinking that I could have included so many more songs, but I do think I've chosen a pretty great set of songs here, my music taste is definitely diverse I'd say. I hope you enjoyed reading and listening, let me know if any of these songs are your favourites!

TEN DAY 'YOU' CHALLENGE #09

~~#10 random facts~~ // #09 loves // #08 fears // #07 wants // #06 places // #05 foods // #04

books // #03 films // #02 songs // #01 picture of yourself.

1. My family. Especially my mum and dad.

2. My iPhone. I know this is a very materialist one but my phone does absolutely everything. It has the internet, photos, movies, music, twitter, instagram, a phone (doh!), everything.

3. American TV shows. If you read my blog regularly, you'll know just how many shows I watch on a regular basis - a lot! I'd feel lost without these shows.

4. Dr Pepper. I used to hate this drink but now if I could only drink one thing for the rest of my life (other than water) it would be Dr Pepper.

5. Clothes/fashion. I love reading about it, buying it, wearing it (it'd be bad if I didn't!) and I just want a career that revolves around fashion.

6. America. This is a random one but I just love that country so much! Sure, I've only ever been to two states, but I hope to visit a lot more of them in my life, and someday even live there.

7. Taekwondo. I don't train regularly now at all because of university but I used to enjoy it so so much and I would love to get my 2nd dan at some point.

8. The colour pink. I went off pink for a while, but now I just love it. Weirdly enough though, I only own one pink item of clothing.

9. Food. Doesn't everyone love food?

OUTFIT | KHAKI AND LEATHER

Jacket: Primark

Top: Topshop

Jeans: Topshop Leigh

Shoes: New Look

Necklace: Topshop

Bracelet: New Look (old)

Since Zara released its khaki and leather jacket last year, various different stores have been putting forward their variations and I pretty much jumped right on that bandwagon and bought one for myself! I begrudge paying a lot for a jacket that is not a coat; so I opted for Primark's version at a mer £25 and to be honest, it is a great quality and the detailing all looks very similar to Zara's version.

I wore this outfit today for work; I wanted to be comfortable so opted for my slouchy over sized Topshop tee, paired with my black leigh jeans - which are uber comfortable - and then this jacket thrown over the top. I absolutely love this outfit, very simply but then with a 'statement' necklace and shoes it looked more interesting. Plus, the jacket is sort of a statement in its own right.

Are you a fan of the khaki/leather jackets floating around? Do you own one?

TEN DAY 'YOU' CHALLENGE #10

I've seen the 'ten day you challenge' floating around on several blogs and I've really enjoyed reading other peoples versions; it's a nice way to make your blog a bit more personal. This is going to be my version and to begin with, I've changed number 10 from secrets to random facts because secrets wouldn't really be secrets if I told you all. I warn you now, these re going to be super random facts!

#10 random facts // #09 loves // #08 fears // #07 wants // #06 places // #05 foods // #04

books // #03 films // #02 songs // #01 picture of yourself.

1. I have a first dan black belt in Taekwondo which I achieved n 2008. This was so far, the proudest moment of my life. I hope the next will be graduating university with a degree.

2. My biggest insecurity is definitely my height. I'm 6ft 2 and for me and I honestly have this awful feeling all the time that people are just starring at me. Most of the time no one even bothers, there's plenty of people taller than me, but I just think for me personally, being a girl who is over 6ft is hard.

3. Before this year, I had never actually finished reading a book. I used to get bored part way through, stop and then never read that boom again. Now I love reading.

4. I have a serious issue with any food on my plate touching. The first thing I do when I get a plate of anything is to rearrange it into 'sections' so that nothing touches. Because of this, I don't eat gravy, at all; it just makes everything mush together and it's just awful.

5. I go through many phases of collecting certain things and then I just stop and then move onto to collecting something else. I have hundreds of teddies and a lot of DVDs, pin badges, magazines, ducks, key rings etc etc.

6. I'm allergic to penicillin. It's always so awkward when you're filling out a form and they ask you your allergies...I can never spell it right!

7. After university I hope to move to America (somehow!) and get a job at a fashion magazine. Even if I do have to start off being a coffee fetcher!

8. I don't drink alcohol. I have tried sips of various things but it just tastes awful. I also could not justify spending a fortune on alcohol all the time - it just seems like a big waste of money to me. (I apologise if this offends you, if you drink alcohol and spend your money on it then go for it!)

9. My favourite animal is a hippo. For some strange reason I just think they are so so cute. At school/college I had a huge plan to open up 'Hippoland' when you could ride hippos on water slides and each bedroom has it's own personal hippo. Strange I know. Sadly, I have come to realise this will never be a reality :').

10. I'm an only child and when people ask; 'oh but don't you wish you had a brother/sister?' I don't really know what to say. Because I've never had a sibling I don't really know any different. It's definitely changed me as a person though, I'm a lot more of a 'solitary' person if that's the right word, I'm much more family orientated than friends orientated. I've never been one to be part of a large group of friends.

So, that is ten random facts about me. Did you learn something new? Let me know if you are taking part in this challenge, I'd love to read your version! (:

MODELS OWN HEDONIST

models own 'hedonist' - boots (£5.00)

I'm definitely becoming a Models Own fan, I've gone from never trying any of their polishes to buying four in a week. 'Hedonist' is from the Hed Kandi range and is basically a bright, pretty much neon coral. It is such an amazing colour; the neon shades are definitely my favourite, what with 'Beach Party' and now this.

This polish applied really nicely and only needed two coats to get a good opacity. One thing I really dislike though is the fact it dries almost matt; I found this too with Beach Party so maybe it's just the Hed Kandi range? I'm not really a fan of matt polishes but with a quick top coat applied over, it looks super shiny and even more neon!

I bought this on a buy one get one half price offer which, correct me if I'm wrong, is still running now at Boots. I couldn't recommend this polish enough, and from what I've tried, all of the Models Own range will be great.

Have you tried Models Own 'Hedonist'? Which polish from this brand would you recommend?