Coat: Zara | Crop Top: Puma | Metallic Sheer Slip Dress: Urban Outfitters | Jeans: Topshop | Bag: New Look | Socks: ASOS | Trainers: Nike
Sheer
fabrics were littered across the runway this season all the way from Cavern to
Burberry to Dolce & Gabbana. Just when we think that we’ve exhausted the
see-through fabric trends designers go out and pull out the bag some amazing
silhouettes and garments to sink our teeth into. While underwear as outerwear
is for the brave, there was not a chance I was missing out.
I
picked up this sheer top from the Urban Outfitters sale a while back and I am
obsessed with it. The metallic finish make it appear blue, grey, silver and
brown all in different lights and it looks so cute teamed over just black jeans
and my Puma crop. Despite it being sheer I am a bit of a lightweight with cold
so I layered over my favourite faux fur jacket, velvet quilted shoulder bag and
my Nike sneaks.
Summer
sunshine please hurry up so I can layer this up with cute shorts and gladiator
sandals!
A x
Oh ASOS, the amazing things you do for my
wardrobe but not for my bank balance. The new season is here in all its stripe,
floral, gingham and coloured glory and that means one thing: a wardrobe update.
Yes, I’m supposed to be saving travelling but completely by habit I always
*accidentally on purpose* add items into my saved basket an ASOS and its current contents
literally make me go like the heart-eyed emoji. Sequinned floral denim jeans
will be perfect in boiling in Thailand, right? Maybe naaat, but when the season
looks this good clashing print dresses are definitely in the fore front of my
mind.
I
haven’t done one of these posts before so I thought I’d put together all the
items I’m currently lusting over that are all purchasable on ASOS. All items are linked below so say hello to my dream wardrobe ready for Spring. I was also
thinking of putting another trend guide together, so let me know if it’d be
something of interest. Take a look into the beautiful trends of Spring Summer
17- now all we need is the sun.
(Left to right, top to bottom) One Above Another Jeans | Vera Moda Dress | ASOS Corset Belt | ASOS Embrodiered Jacket | Pretty Little Thing Dress | ASOS Shirt
Neon Rose Corset T-Shirt | ASOS Cactus Bag | ASOS Lace Dress | ASOS Fishnet Socks | ASOS Dress | River Island Trousers | ASOS Skirt
ASOS Jumper | ASOS Culottes | Missguided Dress | Missguided Bandeau | Monki Jumpsuit | ASOS Bow Tie | ASOS Heels | ASOS Shirt | Dune Espadrilles
So
the real question is, who wants to lend me a couple of quid to buy all of these
beauties? I joke I joke. I hope this got you inspired ready for spring and I’ll
see you all next week for more content- I promise. Happy shopping!
What items for Spring have you got from ASOS lately?
A x
Hey guys, remember me? I hope so. Yes I’ve
been crap with posts lately but what marks a better occasion to get back to blogging
than Pancake Day?!
I love
pancakes. In fact, I don’t think there are many who don’t. There is something
so nostalgic about Pancake Day: I hold fond old memories of flicking pancakes in the
kitchen with family- and perhaps more memorably the epic fails of them getting
stuck on the ceiling or sloshing them all over the floor- to smothering them with
Orange and Sugar or Nutella and getting high off the sugar hit. They’re easy to make, super quick
and ridiculously satisfying. And what makes Pancake Day even better this year? It also lands on payday. YAAAASS.
Part of me wasn’t sure whether I should
upload this post or not in fear of what others may say, but I thought bugger
it. This year I’m going healthy pancakes, and by healthy pancakes, I mean
protein pancakes. Last year I’d have probably tweeted that those who make
protein pancakes on Pancake Day really need to evaluate their life (put the claws away Alex), but this year
I’ve been making a conscious effort to get into shape so I’m officially one of those
people. I don't know whether to be slightly ashamed or impressed. I’m training more than I ever have before and eating clean pretty
much all week (give or take the odd glass of wine on a Friday oi oi) but you
can bet, clean eating or not, I’m not missing out on Pancake Day.
So I thought I’d put together a little bit of
inspo for those of you, who like me, are trying to be wary of the calorific high
fat/sugar recipes floating around the internet at the moment, in favour of a
lighter alternative. Yes they still scream carbohydrates but getting that hit of
protein (38g’s of it to be exact) and
coming in at less than 500 calories, there is definitely room in my nutrition
plan for these blueberry beauties. This recipe comes with full credit to
Protein Treats by Nicolette- it hits all the right buttons for me and they’re
beyond delicious.
Ingredients:
For the Pancakes:
½ scoop vanilla protein powder
1/3 cup oat flour
2 egg whites
¼ cup almond milk
¼ cup blueberries
1 tablespoon cashew or almond butter
For the Blueberry Jam:
¾ cup blueberries
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
And finally, the Vanilla Glaze:
¼ scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tablespoons almond milk
Method:
1- Warm up a non-stick pan over a medium heat
2- In a blender, blend together the egg whites, ¼ cup almond milk, ¼ cup blueberries
and cashew/almond butter until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl
3- Add ½ scoop
protein powder and oat flour to the mixing bowl and whisk until smooth
4- Spoon about ¼ cup
of the pancake mix onto the pan- making 5 pancakes total- and cook on each
side about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown (bonus points if you can flip more than one at once: I dare you)
5 For the jam, heat
¾ cup blueberries and maple syrup/honey in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring
occasionally, for about 8 minutes
6- For the glaze,
stir together ¼ scoop protein powder and 2 tablespoons almond milk until
smooth
7- Spoon the jam and
glaze on top of the pancakes. Enjoy!
Blueberries not your thing? I've got
your back. I've been trawling around for other protein pancake recipes that I
know will hit the spot no matter what your taste buds are craving. Summer ’17 bikini
body come at me.
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes by The Slender Student | Banana & Peanut Butter Pancakes by Food Fanatic
Protein Pancakes by Jamie Oliver | Lemon Chia Seed Pancakes by Muy Delish | Strawberry Greek Yoghurt Pancakes by I Wash You Dry
Protein Pancakes by The Body Coach | 4 Ingredient Protein Pancakes by The Willow Baker
Happy Pancake Day my lovelies and stuff yourself silly with all of the protein goodness! Let me know your favourite recipes below!
A x
This is one of those posts that have
the marmite effect: you either love them or hate them. Personally, I hope it doesn’t
mean I’m pretentious if I take photos of my Christmas presents- as that wasn’t
ever my intention- but I love knowing what people got for Christmas. Christmas
is all about sharing and caring, so I thought I’d update you lovely lot with
what I was very, very fortunate to get this year.
Burberry Classic Cashmere Scarf in Camel Check
Burberry Scarf
Let’s start off with the biggie, and to
say there was a massive squeal of excitement when I opened this badboy would be
an understatement. Introducing my new most prized possession: my heart
wrenchingly beautiful Burberry Classic Cashmere Scarf. I remember last year
going into the Burberry Beauty Box in Covent Garden with my mum lusting over
the scarves in the window and wanting my own monogrammed version but the hefty
price tag held me back. As much as I know I would have adored it, there was no
way I could fool myself into thinking that a £200 scarf was a good idea. My
little rascal of a mother on the other hand, only managed to go and get one organised
for me! My sisters best friend Lydia works for Burberry head office and
she was lucky enough to pick up this beauty for me in one of their sample sales.
Whilst I told mum off for spending too much money (even in a sample sale it was a lot for a scarf!), my heart is completely
smitten and I can’t get enough of it. The cashmere touch is, of course, cloud-like
soft and the camel colouring make it so easy to team with most items in my
wardrobe. Be ready to be seeing this on the blog a helllaaaa lot this year. Thank
you Burberry for creating the best Christmas present EVA.
Spectrum Brushes: B04 Eye Spy | B06 Blending Friend | A10 Feeling Fancy
Spectrum Brushes
Being of a bit of a make up brush badger
I’ve heard good and bad things about Spectrum brushes so I thought it was about
time to find out myself on whether these were any good. So many friends of mine
use different brushes for their highlighter so I thought I’d pick up a fan
brush to try and get my fat little cheekbones on fleek... (Notice the word try) Plus a gal can never have
too many brushes for their crease to get those smoky eyes looking as blended as
possible. Update on these coloured beauties will no doubt be featured soon.
Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask | Ro's Argan Body Conditioner | Magical Moringa Moisturiser | Mint Julips Lip Scrub | Ocean Salt Exfoliator | Let The Good Times Roll Cleasner
The Lush obsession continues...
I'm still not over the Lush hype...
Hell, I don’t think I ever will be. You’ve probably heard me talk about all of
these products hundreds of times over so I won’t go into the detail of each
item, but these are my go-to products that I grab everyday and my skin has
never felt better since using them. I don’t know why I always prefer Lush
skincare- there are probably better products on the market for your skin- but
they just work for me. I trust the ingredients that go into them, they are
affordable, I know that they won’t make my skin react and honestly, I like
everything that the brand stands for. My newest addition is their incredible
moisturiser, Magical Moringa. After visiting their Lush Spa in the Bath store I
knew that this would quickly become my new favourite and I haven’t been
disappointed- it leaves my skin silky smooth and it is also an incredible skin
primer pre-makeup application.
REN Skincare & Tom Ford Perfume
So, the story behind the Tobacco
Vanille perfume is that my best friend Molly always wore it when we were
together at uni. Where previously I was always about fresh, citrusy scents she
has completely converted me to the musky, spicy scent side and I think of her
every time I wear this incredible perfume from Tom Ford. The ingredients to
make the scent are quite simple but they harmonise so well- the tobacco and spices have an almost masculine harsh edge
however the hit of vanilla give it a sweet syrupy finish which I can’t get
enough of. Yes this perfume is expensive but its longevity is the best I’ve
ever used- only a spritz or two will see you through the entire day compared to
some perfumes that you have to spray half the bottle to still get a whiff of it
at 5pm. Undoubtedly this is an autumnal winter scent and it has a date night
aroma written all over it.
Next up is a brand that I hadn’t used before but I’ve always wanted to try: REN Skincare. I’ve only heard good things about their products so I became a little giddy when my godmother handed me a Space NK bag on Boxing Day. Admittedly this wouldn’t be something that you’d pick up if you’re not a fan of Turkish Delight style scents- it definitely has that rose hit when you smell it- but so far I’ve really enjoyed using both the wash and body lotion. The body lotion has quite a thick consistency so a little goes a long way and the body wash is always a little treat in the shower. Their products are a little expensive, but I’ll definitely be giving some of their others items a go if these are anything to go by.
Next up is a brand that I hadn’t used before but I’ve always wanted to try: REN Skincare. I’ve only heard good things about their products so I became a little giddy when my godmother handed me a Space NK bag on Boxing Day. Admittedly this wouldn’t be something that you’d pick up if you’re not a fan of Turkish Delight style scents- it definitely has that rose hit when you smell it- but so far I’ve really enjoyed using both the wash and body lotion. The body lotion has quite a thick consistency so a little goes a long way and the body wash is always a little treat in the shower. Their products are a little expensive, but I’ll definitely be giving some of their others items a go if these are anything to go by.
Mark Hill Pick n Mix Wand: Handle | Small Barrell | Ellipse Barell | John Frieda Volumising Mousse
Mark Hill Curling Wand & Volumising Mousse
My Barnet and me have an on/off
relationship. My hair is the typically super fine straight hair that I can get
away with not doing a lot to- dependent on which way you look at it this could
be a good or bad thing. Sure, its great if I can’t be arsed and I can wear it
straight (like is the case most days), but it’s a such pain when it comes to curling my hair- and
typically I like hair with a bit of a wave or something to it. I seem to take ages curling it all and unless I
smother it with hairspray it drops within twenty minutes. So I introduce to you
all the Mark Hill Pick n Mix Curling Wand- I’ve heard good things about it and honestly its
major selling point is its affordability. I didn’t want to spend a lot on a
curling wand in case I didn’t like the barrell size it so I thought I’d give this a go with the
Ellipsis Waver and Small barrels to try different looks, with the price coming
in around £40. The whole curling/waving process is super simple and I hope it helps to diminish the amount of time I'm sat cross legged in front of the mirror trying to ensure each strand is perfectly curled. I’m keen to give it a go and to see whether my hatred of
curling my hair ever ceases and I picked up the John Frieda volumising mousse
for fine hair for good measure. I will have thick looking bouncy hair in 2017!
Nike Air Huarache's | Missguided Cami T-Shirt Dress
New Sneaks & Another Satin Cami
My boyfriend and me seem to always pick
each other a new pair of sneaks for our birthdays and Christmases and he didn’t disappoint
our little ritual by getting me the all black Nike Huarache’s. My black Nike
Rosche One’s have been dying a slow death by the amount I’ve worn them, so when I
spotted the coolest chick wearing a pair of these in the airport in Gatwick last year it was love at first sight. They are ridiculously
comfortable, I love that they are all black with just the flash of white from
the logo and they’ve been cemented to my feet since opening them. RIP Rosche’s,
you were a worthy addition and now you can rest in peace. Next up: the slip, because who doesn’t love going out
in nighty like dress? Yes, this trend should probably be left in the
Autumn/Winter’16 season but whatever; I’m not over it yet so I picked up this
Khaki and striped tee combo from Missguided.
Benefit Gimme Brow in 03 Medium | Sparkly Socks all ASOS | (similar) Candle & Mug Anthropologie | India Knight The Goodness of Dogs
Bits n Bobs
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without
all the little knicky knacks we seem to pick up and my new sock wardrobe is
enough to make anyone jealous: feast your eyes on those sparkly babies! Naomi
was my secret santa this year and she picked me up this gorgeous candle from
Anthropologie and one of their golden foiled mugs in case I forgot what letter
my name begins with. Benefit’s Gimme Brow is one of the best contributions to
my makeup bag this year so I got a new one in 003 Medium Brown- it also
includes a great little guide on how to best fill them in too which means bad
brow days are a thing of the past. And finally, everybody knows my love of dogs
so my godmother got me this cute little book all about them and how wonderfully
perfect they are in everyway. Plus, the illustrations throughout are super cute. #PUPLOVE.
Red Carpet Gel Polish Pro Kit | Charbonnel et Walker Sea Salt Caramel Truffles | Bettys Bakery Chocolate Mice
Red Carpet Gel Polish Kit & Chocolate (cause Christmas, duhh!)
And last but by no means least, I’ve finaaaaally got my own gel nails kit.
The big sis delivered in getting me the Red Carpet Gel Polish Kit so it means I
can save money by not going to the salon and do them myself instead. I’ve been
really impressed with how easy the process is and how long they last: I did my
nails on Boxing Day and they are still nearly immaculate- cya chipped nails. The set includes all you need to create gel
nails at home (base layer, gel structure, top coat, cuticle care) plus the UV
lamp and gel colour in a classic red shade which I think is present in
everyone’s nail collection. Red Carpet also offer all these products separately
so if you run out its super easy to get the refills so you always have what you
need. If you’re thinking that you just need gel polishes to use this (which technically you do) I
picked up the Sensationail Polish to Gel treatment so that I can use all my own
normal polishes as well as picking up new gel additions. It's now half price in Boots here.
So, that’s it from me today folks. I
hope you’ve enjoyed at having a little nose of what I got for Christmas this
year- I was quite overwhelmed with all of my friends’ and family’s generosity and
had the most wonderful time relaxing, revelling in eating stupid amounts of food
and watching the best TV what felt like we’ve had in years. I hope you also had
a wonderful Christmas and the January blues aren’t bringing you down: its only
a few more weeks until it starts getting lighter and warmer: hurraaaah! Let’s get January out the way
and start thinking about new season S/S’17, yeh? Happy Sunday you lovely lot and I'll see you next week for some usual outfit posts and ramblings.
What did you get for Christmas this year?
A x
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