sunday post #027

spur of the moment at home dye job; the results first time round; surprise valentines roses; mexican night; sky on the way to birmingham; hotel la tour; hungover shopping trip in selfridges; amazing kurt geiger heels; thirsty fun; getting used to being a brunette; candles make me happy; bath time treats.

February has well + truly run away with us; I can't believe it's the first of March Friday, craaazy stuff! I've had a nice couple of weeks, even if I've probably spent a little too much time doing my own thing + not spending enough time doing university work, oopsie! As you can see from the images above, I've gone brunette! Bit of a change to the dark blonde + super bleach ombré that I was sporting a few weeks ago but I'm slowly getting used to it. My hair grows so slow I thought I'd give it a helping hand + lay off the bleach tones just while it gets past the awkward-shoulder-length-stage which it's been at for years now! I'm going to just leave it be for the time being + hopefully get some natural honey toned highlights put through it come Easter! Gosh us girls can blab on about our hair eh?!

want; black, white and pink

RIVER ISLAND black and white print skater dress £35 + black cat eye sunglasses £10; ASOS leather and faux pony clutch £30; MAC betty lipstick in girl next door + veronica lipstick in daddy's little girl both £15.50.

This dress arrived in work Saturday morning + I was immediately drawn to it! It's described as a skater but it sort of sits just below the bust rather than on the waist which is a style I've noticed a lot lately. I love the monochrome print which I think will look amazing with a flash of neon accessories like this ASOS clutch. We've had a bit of sunshine this week in what is usually a wet Wales which had me dreaming of summer and subsequently lusting after the perfect pair of sunglasses. I think my face suits the cat eye shape so these River Island pair are a steal at only £10! I can't wait for the Archie's Girls collection to reach MAC stores, these two shades are sure to make their way into my basket, especially the Veronica shade, loving the deeper pinks at the moment seeing as I've taken the plunge + gone brunette!

soap & glory hand food hand cream

SOAP & GLORY hand food hydrating hand cream £5

I don't know why, but recently my hands have been so dry! They're not noticeably dry but they just feel so horrible. Seeing as my university course is so hands on I decided that I really should start to look after them a little bit more! I've mentioned before the reason I struggle to keep up a moisturising routine is because my biggest peeve is waiting around for cream to aborb into my skin. Yet again Soap & Glory have created a formula which sinks in fast + leaves skin feeling silky smooth without being greasy, yay!

This is one of Soap & Glory's cult super products which everyone seems to love, and with good reason! As well as having cute packaging, it actually works. It does have a fairly strong, sweet Soap-&-Glory-scent to it which may not be the best if you have sensitive skin but I have no trouble with my hands + like the smell so that doesn't bother me. This larger tube lives on my bedside table + I usually apply before bed, after doing my nails or whenever my hands need a pick me up! I'm going to treat myself to the travel sized tube (along with the hand maid anti-bac' gel) this weekend to keep in my handbag as although it does a great job of hydrating my skin it sadly doesn't last all day. However for a fiver, it really is a great hand cream!

valentine's tag

all images via weheartit

#001; what is your favourite valentine's day treat? Red roses + a heartfelt, written card, perfect.

#002; sweethearts or chocolate covered strawberries? Hmm, strawberries in a glass of champagne?ha.

 

#003; what is your favourite valentine's day memory? Primary school days of handing out handmade cards in the playground is a pretty funny memory.

#004; favourite romantic film to watch on valentine's day? Ooh such a hard choice, I'm a sucker for a chick flick! Maybe 'The Notebook' or 'When Harry Met Sally'.

 

#005; who would be your dream celebrity valentine's date? Ryan Gosling, everytime!

 

#006; what would you do on your perfect valentine's date? My boyfriend + I had a gorgeous 3 course meal on the beach in Mexico for my 21st last year, easily the most romantic thing ever! And to top it off when we got back to our hotel room, it was decorated with heart shaped balloon's, the jacuzzi was filled with bubbles and petals + there was a nice chilled bottle of champers waiting for us, I know it wasn't Valentine's Day but I don't think you could top that for a dream date!

 

#007; red or pink lips? Bright pink lips for the day + red for the night.

 

#008; what is your ideal valentine's day date outfit? Totally depends on the circumstances but you can never go wrong with a cute dress + a swipe of lippy!

 

#009; homemade or store-bought gifts? A mixture of both! Nothing OTT though, I really don't understand the whole buying gifts for the sake of it, it's all about the roses + sweets!

 

#010; perfect valentine's day perfume? Lady Million or Victor and Rolf Flowerbomb!

tumblr tuesday #004

face; quote; beach; glasses; hearts; black + white; blue hair floral body.

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want; cut-outs + chrome

RIVER ISLAND grey burnout cut-out shoulder skater dress £25; ZARA black stones necklace £15.99; ASOS marc by marc jacobs silver watch £125; JOHN LEWIS liz earle deep cleansing mask starter kit £14.

I spotted this cut-out dress whilst in work the other day. I think it's perfect to throw on with some tights, ankle boots + a statement necklace for uni days! I probably have enough silver collars but there's something about this Zara one that I love! Since my boyfriend bought me my gold Michael Kors for Christmas it hasn't left my wrist! I've been bitten by the designer watch bug and now am lusting after one in silver + rose gold! My skin isn't my best feature at the moment so hoping to treat myself to some Liz Earle goodies when in Birmingham this weekend. I tried and loved the Cleanse + Polish so hoping to branch out and maybe pick up a mask; has anyone tried this one or can recommend any? My skin would be very grateful!

sunday post #026

 hungover shopping trip attire; shoe porn; refuelling; eyelure love; plan b gig; buttons in cloth house; laura + i; glitter overload; just me + my jug.

It's been a weird, long old week filled with ups + unfortunately some downs. Monday night, my boyfriend + I attended our first concert of 2013! We went to see Plan B in the Motor Point Arena in Cardiff! I wasn't too fussed on the newer, grimey stuff but rekindled my love for his Strickland Banks album, so many good songs! Our fave Labrinth was also supporting so all in all we had a really good night. Wednesday I was back up in London on yet another unsuccessful fabric shopping trip. It was a right miserable day; Megabus problems + bitter weather, make a grumpy Charlotte!

I finally got to spend some time with my friends Friday. We all got dolled up + attended the Tiger Tiger Jewel bar launch, sore heads all around Saturday! Seeing has I had a rare weekend off work; it couldn't be spent feeling sorry for myself so my boyfriend + I ventured to the shops where I picked up some bargains + a vanilla cooler, saviour! I've not got a lot planned for this week except a family meal + lots of uni work! No plans for Valentine's Day as of yet but hopefully we will be spending the weekend in Birmingham which will be worth waiting for.

 

want; rose gold + wine

H&M burgundy blouse £12.99; NARS isolde eyeshadow duo £23.50; RIVER ISLAND rose gold statement spike necklace £12; ZARA vamp heels £59.99; TOPSHOP premium peg leg trousers £42.

I looove how the colour of this shirt works with rose gold accessories! When rummaging through my wardrobe the other day I came to realise that I'm in a bit of a black-funk! This colour shirt is probably a bit AW now but planning on introducing a bit more colour into my outfits! I'm also going to try out break out of my skinny jean habit, starting with a nice pair of peg legs!

I've been looking for the perfect pair of pointed courts for literally about a year now + I'm still searching! They either seem to have too little a heel or are too rounded at the front! These Zara ones look pretty perfect thus far! Uhhh how perfect does this eye shadow duo look?! Going to get searching on the weekend for a drug store dupe! 

tumblr tuesday #003

marina; daisies; lumineers; sass + bide; wildfox; puppy; flower; bikini.

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lush snow fairy shower gel

LUSH 500g limited edition snow fairy shower gel £14.50 £5.13

I know this isn't available at the moment but I think it certainly deserves a review regardless! I can't think of anyone who doesn't like love this product! For starters I'm loving the packaging; it's much quirkier than previous bottles which fits in with the brand perfectly! Though I like the make over; I am thankful that it's still the same gorgeous pink, iridescent goodness inside yay!

This scent of this shower gel is just beautiful! When I run out + have to wait until the festive season comes about again to repurchase, I struggle to a replacement that smells quite as amazing! A super sweet, fruity mixture of bubblegum, candy floss + pear drops fill the whole upstairs of my house when I shower! I use a shower puff + a good squirt of Snow Fairy and it creates sooo much lather! The little flecks of blue glitter don't transfer onto skin which is another thumbs up from me. It leaves my skin feeling so soft + I love the occasional, random whiff's you get throughout the day! This will forever be my favourite shower gel as there isn't one thing I can fault about it!

sunday post #025

lush golden wonder bath time; bleached hair + spiked necklace; tasty cupcake; gorgeous zoe hardman; graze snacks; mk love; manicure time; spending some time with my babe mr gosling; jewelled collar.

 

I think I've come to the decision that if I want my hair to grow (which I really, really, reeeally want to happen!) I think I'm going to have to get rid of my bleached ends boo! I also think it's time to move on from the dip-dye look as everyoneee seems to have it as of late! Last night when I was watching 'Take Me Out; The Gossip' (I'm a wild one I know!) I came to the conclusion that I need Zoe Hardman's hair! However, looking at it lined up next to my current colour it might be a bigger change than I thought, wah! I'm such a baby; to go for it or not hmmm...

valentines day gift ideas

Ah February, the month of love! Some people love Valentine's Day, others don't; I'm a big, soppy, hopeless romantic so I think you can guess which category I fall into! I know it's a super commercial, Americanised holiday but I like the idea of having a day to indulge in being all romantic + showing your partner how much you care about them! My boyfriend + I became 'my boyfriend + I' the day after Valentine's Day so I think I'm allowed to fall for the hype! I don't like the super corporate, over advertised side with every shop filled with tacky teddies + money-waster gifts but I try to distract myself from that nonsense + concentrate on cutsie side, aka being in denial!

Being a creative person, when I something catches my eye, half the time I think "ooh I wouldn't mind having a go of that myself!" both a curse + a blessing seeing as I don't actually have that much spare time on my hands! I love anything handmade + the sentiment that comes with spending that little extra time to put your personal touch to something. With boy's being a little harder to shop for on this particular holiday, I at least like to make sure that I have the perfect card!

PAPERCHASE sweep me off my feet £2.50; love you muchly £2.75; light switch £2.50; my valentine £2.25; love you babe £2.75; alphabet £2.50. 

(Sorry if you can't really make out what the cards say but the links above will take you to each card.)

Paperchase always stock real quirky cards + for Valentine's it's no different. With a mix of cute + cheeky cards there's something for everyone's personal taste! To add that extra personal touch you could always create a card on moon pig + funky pigeon. I've used Moon Pig for cards a few times now + always have been 100% happy; it's so easy to customise the text + to add your favourite photo!

I WANT ONE OF THOSE 'i love you' sweet words £16.99; PAPERCHASE black kraft square scrapbook £8.50; URBAN OUTFITTERS red glitter heart photo frame £5; ASDA moet & chandon champagne brut £32.48; AMAZON red heart shaped sky lantern £5.66.

I don't really get the whole buying proper presents for Valentine's Day, cute gifts on the other hand are okay! Last year I bought a scrapbook from Paperchase + filled it full of photo's of all the fun things we had done over the past couple of years. I actually got a deal off Groupon for the printing of the photo's too so it worked out to be a soppy, sentimental + pocket friendly gift! After making a scrappy research book for my university project + really enjoying it, I wouldn't mind doing a one for myself if I get any spare time! I also love this Urban Outfitters glitter frame! They had snow globe versions in store Christmas time, I think they are so cute + a great gift for a little bit of fun!

I don't like milk chocolate so I think this sweet 'I love you' gift appeals more to me than my boyfriend! This is such a great idea to re-create at home; there are tons of tutorials online to make your own boxes, you could then fill them full of your partners favourite treats or little IOU's! Another sickly cute gift idea is this red ballon lantern, maybe a little too soppy but undeniably something a little different!

If I was to spend a bit of money on a Valentine's gift it would be on a nice bottle of bubbly! This will be our fourth Valentine's day together with each year spent completely different, ranging from a spa day to a surprise weekend in Birmingham to a quiet night with a home cooked meal + a DVD. I love a nice glass of champagne so usually pick up a nice bottle from the supermarket to make dinner at home a bit special or to celebrate in the hotel room while we're getting ready if we stay away! Plus you can both enjoy, ever so sneaky! I'd love to know if you've given/received any non-traditional valentines gifts!(:

topshop lips; whimsical

TOPSHOP lips in whimsical £8 

I'm a big lover of a good ol' Topshop lipstick; Secret Admirer is one of my all time favourites so was super happy to receive this shade in my Christmas stocking. I pointed it out Whimsical to my mum when shopping; at the time I didn't realise it was a matte finish + was quite worried when I noticed as my lips are usually a bit too dry to pull them off. Topshop describe it as a "velvet finish lipstick to smooth, moisturise and nourish lips", sounds pretty good eh?

I've worn this shade a few times now + have learnt that I do need to be having a 'good lip day' or have time to prep (a Lush sugar scrub + some Carmex usually works a treat!) or it doesn't quite sit right and looks a bit chalky on my dry patches. I don't know whether my lips are drier than I thought but it does take some work to get a truly even application, bit of a thumbs down moment! However, if my lips are nice + moisturised + with a bit of wiping + patting, it is a beautiful peachy, pinky, maybe a little coral everyday lippy.  All in all, for £8 it is a lovely, full coverage, non drying matte shade... that being said I think I've learnt my lesson + shall stick to the cream finishes as they're basically a lot less faff for a swipe-and-go girl like me! Have you tried this shade, what did you think?