Why you should check out your local Charity Shop ...

Hello my Lovelies!

I have had so many blog Ideas going through my head recently but I have decided, seeing as I have the items with me, to do a post about charity shops.

Everyone likes a bargain. And everyone likes getting designer items for a fraction of the price. But would you ever think about going to a charity shop? probably not.

On Tuesday me, my mother & my mother-in-law went to the little (posh) town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire. My mum is very much a cheap person & is always looking for a bargain (which is definitely reflected in me!) scouring the reduction section and charity shops. There were a few charity shops in Ashbourne that we visited & I really liked one shop. When I go looking in Charity shops, I look from brands - well, designer brands - because I can never usually buy anything full priced. A lookie what I found! :

A genuine Ralph Lauren Shirt! To me, this is exciting stuff as it was a bargain for less than a fiver! And just browsing through the website - the shirt would have been £85! WOW!! I am going to wear this shirt with either white jeans/trousers or black leggings & a white top underneath.

I'm also a vintage junkie, but I sometimes think the vintage prices are well - overpriced. I've been after a 50's looking bag for god know how long & found this:

How beautiful it this? So bloody cheap!

So, when you go past your local charity shop, don't be 'stuck up' about going in because you may get the best bargain of your life! or find a little designer gem, like I did!

Whats been your best charity shop find?

Lauren
xoxo

My Inspiration/idols

Hello my Beauties!

Everyone has their inspirations - be it Wayne Rooney or Jessie j, everyone has that one (or few) person that gives them hope & helps them pursue their dreams. I have 3 main ones & after reading an article in the sun about Dizzy Sophie Webster (well, whatever her name is) being pro-anorexia, I had to share mine. I have been anorexic twice in my life time, & I'm still very much in a love/hate relationship with it. These few people are my 'thinspiration' so to speak:

Audrey Hepburn:
What an incredible woman. One of the most glamorous sophisticated actresses of the 1950/60s. A fashion Icon, Audrey is well known for her role in Breakfast at Tiffany's - the movie in which I fell for Miss Hepburn. When I saw her again in the galaxy advert - it just reminded me how much I adore her. She was always a petite creature - with the most infectious smile & brilliant personality which you can just gather by her face. Although she died over 20 years ago (rest her soul) She is still very much alive in British Culture & influencing our fashion. 

Marilyn Monroe:

Aah, the original Blonde bombshell - and the woman who I have gotten so much inspiration from. Again, she has had such an affect on our Art culture and the English speaking world altogether. Her bleach blonde locks are iconic & something I always wanted to resemble. Her acting in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes & How to Marry a Millionaire is amazing and extremely humorous. And once more,  she wasn't a stick. She was a curvy size 14 around the hips, she smoked, she drank but she was still very much an admirable woman. I love her so much that I have even got a quote of her on my right hand side My very first tattoo <3

Kim Kardashian:

This woman gets a lot of hate from the press, but I cannot help but admire her & her sisters. Whatever she does, she does it off her own back - her clothes line, her successful perfume line, everything - she's an exceptional business woman. Yes, she may have done some crappy stuff but beyond that she is a very charming, loving lady. &, again, she excepts her curves - and my god I wish I had that body. Her features in the face are extraordinary & I cannot help but feel envy towards her. Just. Wow.

Who are your inspirations?

Lauren

xoxo

Too much, Too young? Leeds 2013

Hello my Darlings!

As you may have read in your last post, yesterday I ventured out to the eastern side of the UK to the city of Leeds. As soon as we arrived on the train & I could see the tall buildings, I knew I would love the city. It was like a more local London, surrounded with the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen!

How beautiful are these buildings? But, as much as I love the architecture, it wasn't my soul reason for going to Leeds. My first reason was to attend the ARK warehouse sale. I will be doing a post on this later in the week but i'll give you a taster of what happened. Basically, Ark sent an email out around saying that they were holding a 90% sale on their clothing at a warehouse. And so we went & I was lucky enough to get £250 worth of stuff for a mere £54! I was extremely chuffed!!

My second reason included my brilliant photographer friend Tilly Kozimor. As a Fashion photographer, Me & Tilly wanted to go to the 'Leeds Meet up' to see the latest fashion trends & to take photo of those who interested her taste. We arrived at the Millenium Square at around 1:30 - 2 o'clock & couldn't control our nerves & excitement to meet new people & to experience the teen fashion.

 However, I was slightly disappointed. I don't  know if it was because not many people stood out due to them all looking similar or the sheer fact that the teenagers were rather drunk & high, which for me spoilt it. which comes on to my next point - is it just me growing up? It's normal for teens to want to try things & god I can remember the giddiness of getting drunk underaged but I couldn't help think it was a little immature. Damn growing up :(

Nevertheless, I still love the city & the new atmosphere - & some of the people that I met were amazing! & as soon as I can find them on Facebook, I'll upload there pics.



Have you ever been to Leeds?

xoxo

My style

Hello Lovelies!

I love Fashion. I love having the diversity of changing your style from one crazy look to another. However, I feel that my style is undefined - as one day I'll dress like a rock chick with my studded litas, wet look leggings, wet look skater skirt & spiked leather jacket, and the next i'll be the most floral, feminine female with my pastel pink blazer and cream skater dress. So basically, if i'm in a bad mood - I will settle for dark, deep colours with my Alexander McQueen scarf.

Being a poor student, I can't really afford high priced goods & rely on student discounts - but nevertheless, I have my favourite brands:

Missguided:

                                  

I really like this brand! and at the moment they are holding a sale AND offering free delievery! check out my link at the side of the post :) 

I love the 'graphic content' & 'bold colour' looks this SS13 & the brand incorporates it brilliant. The crop word top is especially a favourite of mine!

A X Paris

 


A X Paris have always been a favourite of mine for dresses - and I'm happy to see the brand expand! They always do brilliant student offers & quality prices.

The midi is definitely in this season & I am in love with theres! classy but sexy!

I will update some more of my looks later next month!

Lauren
xoxo

p.s. stay tuned for my 'Fashion from Leeds' post coming up at the weekend!

Old Uni Work - Derek

Providing an insight to the lifestyle of a care home, Ricky Gervais’ new show Derek is far from brilliant, and this can be justified even in the third episode.

Using the Same mocumentary style that has featured in his hit show The Office, the production of the show seems unthought-of  as the use of awkward silences seems too much like an actor who has forgot his lines & is trying to improvise.  The use of monologues from the characters doesn’t gel with the scene and seems to have been thrown in rather than produced. Is this really an award winning way of writing a hit programme?

The storyline is bland but hard-hitting at times – the main character of Derek (Gervais) seems to have learning difficulties and volunteers at the care home, although this is not clear. His friend Dougie, who is played by Idiot Abroad star Carl Pilkington, Is the care home handy man. Again, his character seems awkward, but his performance in the later scene in which he tells Marge’s daughter that she is a magpie is down-to-earth, and reveals the disheartening truth about realities of care homes & how the relationship of children and parents can change with age.

Overall, I believe that the program is a dismal and not a true reflection into Gervais’ work, mixing hard-hitting issues & using comedy to try (and fail) to soften the blow. His style of writing is not for me but may be a hit with his fans as it can be compared to The Office. 

First attempt at a personal blog!

Friendly serivce? Don't make me laugh!

Being a commuting student, I  travel on godforsaken, untimely buses regularly.

Women blaring on their phones ranting on about their insufficient lovers, toddlers screaming at the top of their lungs and grannies that won’t shut up about their pet dog Norris.  Not to mention the drivers who are either checking you out or wouldn’t help you if you were on fire.

Sometimes I wonder why I don’t just buy a banger & use that – oh yeah, the unaffordable insurance.

I am a very polite person – letting the elderly have a seat and listening to them nag about ‘our generation’ being rude. However, I can’t help but find them hypocritical.

A perfect example happened to me yesterday whilst I was waiting for my bus back to Belper. There was a pretty long queue due to the unreliable Trent Barton & I was near the front. 

To the left of me was this old women who just seemed to hover, taking no notice of the queue. She went on to fetch her ticket from the office & had the nerve to push in behind me – claiming that she was here before everyone else.

And what’s worse? She was then moaning about a young girl who had ‘pushed’ to the front. Really she was waiting for the next bus, and I couldn’t help but feel anger towards the old women.

Using the bus service, you expect to be treated fairly and like a human, not like a zoo animal. Well –  so I thought!

Hair Review: Macadamia Oil 'Get Hooked'

Hello my Beauties!

Welcome to my new blog! I hope for great things to come from this blog so here's a start!

I was lucky enough to be sent the 'Get Hooked' gift set by Macadamia natural oil - a brand that uses macadamia oil infused with other natural ingredients to create superior hair care products. And with the brand receiving a number of rewards, it must be good! The gift set contained 2 products:- a 30ml sample of the Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment & 30ml Deep Repair Masque. The oil is suitable for all hair types & boasts about being nourishing, de-tangling hair & generally making your hair easier to manage. 

When I was using these product, there was one thing that struck me straight away - the gorgeous yet alluring smell! you can really smell the macadamia oil & it is divinely sweet! I decided that I would use the mask first as it made sense to do so. It recommended that you left on the masque on for 7 minutes & to put it on wet hair. However, I decided to leave the mask on for about an hiur as I wanted to get the full benefit. The masque was a peachy/orange consistency and smelt divine. After I washed the masque, my hair felt and looked physically healthier - which I was pleasantly surprised about seeing as my hair had been over processed for so long. 

The healing treatment sealed the deal & I was completely amazed by it! It really felt like my hair was healing! my hair was smooth, UV protected & became easily de tangled  & I sincerely recommend the product. In fact, I shall be ordering both of these as soon as my pay check comes through!

The products can be purchased from their website & see for yourself the amazing goodness!

Lauren
xoxo

2013: An exciting year

My Darlings,

I just wanted to inform you on some Exciting news!

Firstly, for those who don't follow me on Twitter or Facebook, I GOT BEYONCE TICKETS!!



YES! I get to see the Queen B in all her glory on the 26th of April with my lovely little sister!

And, what's better?

I am also writing a review for The Nottingham Post, which is the regional paper in Nottingham, on the show! EEEEEK!!!

Secondly, I am going to Y Not Festival!



The Nottingham Post are sending me to the festival to review! and I get to take my lovely journalist friend Stephanie Mulholland aka Thoughts of a Wannabe Journalist, so stay tuned for that and visit her blog!



Although this is overwhelming, I will definitely still keep up with the blog - sharing all my beauty tricks and fashion finds!

Thank you guys



Lauren

xoxo

Hair Colourant review - Garnier Olia

Hello My Lovely viewers!

As you know, I very recently went from platinum/bleach blonde to a nice, dark brown. Well, today I am finally going to review the dye that I used - Garnier Olia Permenant hair colour.

Garnier have boasted about the colour being the first home hair colour of it's time to be powered by oil & to contain no ammonia. With

it being a permenant hair dye, I really wanted to try this dye as my hair was in desperate need of some TLC! Although I do not have grey hair (yet) it also says that it covers all grey hairs, YAY! I decided that I wanted to go for a really dark brown as I thought it would make my eyes pop & ended up going for the Dark Brown 4.0. I brought 2 boxes as my hair is rather long & in the boxes I got: a bottle of developer (1), the colourant (2), the silk & shine conditioner (3), the pear-shaped applicator & a pair of black gloves. The bottle was a really useful, and fit the shape of my hand

perfectly. The whole application was really easy & with it being the first hair application by myself, I was really impressed by it. Also, I noticed that the whole 'colouring smell' was not strong - well, I couldn't even smell it! - and after being so used to the horrid smell of bleach, I couldn't help but smile! The colour needs to be on your hair for a total of 30 minutes & after rinsing  you can use the Silk & Shine conditioner. I REALLY like this product & couldn't help touching my hair & watching the colour dance in the light.

My opinion? I will be using this colour again! I love how dark my hair colour came out & how it flatters my skin tone. If you are thinking about going from blonde to brunette, you may need to dye your hair twice as you hair will be very porpous & the red/warm tones need to be put back into your hair.

So, Do you like my brown? or do you want your blonde journalist back!
Lauren xoxo

Big decisions, Big change

Hello Beautiful!

Well, after the last hair chaffuffle I have decided to change my WHOLE hair colour ....



 

I am no longer the blonde journalist! :D I do, however, LOVE IT!!

The blonde had took it's toll on my hair and dried out my hair - making it break so I thought it was time for a change.

Although my hair does need going over again, I love the dark brown as it makes my eyes POP!

BUT! I need your help guys!

I need a new name for the blog - what are your suggestions?

Lauren

xoxo