A Cute Countryside Walk

I often forget how beautiful the local villages and scenery are in the country. I'm sure we all dream of holidays abroad with the palm trees and gorgeous sandy beaches but I feel it's important to remember and explore your homeland, it really does make you proud of your nationality.

Yesterday, the people of my town surely woke up puzzled about the weather. The sun was beaming through windows making me people smile like I did. I'd already made plans to go over a friend's house that afternoon and so when I arrived at her house in the next village, we decided to set off on a lovely, brisk countryside walk.

We both suddenly realised how stunning and picturesque this tiny village was. The scenery was incredible across the field so I knew I was obligated to take some pictures to share with you all!

 
                 

The 70's Style: S/S14

When you think of the 70's, at first you probably think crazy disco afros and Saturday Night Fever-esque flares. Fear not, the frightful matching white waistcoat and trousers of John Travolta aren't back! But all these trends we think are insane right now have been interpreted our favourite designer's S/S collections for this year.

I wanted to write a blog post on this 70's style originally after the release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, which made me want to watch the first of the sequel once again. In one of the first scenes of the first film, Veronica Corningstone is introduced, a beautiful young woman ready to fight to be the first woman anchor. She's seen as a very confident and independent woman, wearing this chic outfit at a party...

There aren't any shots of her trousers unfortunately, but by only seeing how the high the waistband is, you can tell that they are white, wide legged trousers. An item that scares some, or entices others. Although I think these white ones are lovely, I'd prefer to go for a coloured trouser as the bright colours of 'flower-power' are back once more. By doing this you'd be incorporating two trends into one item of clothing. If you pair it with a plain, sheer white shirt, the classic floppy hat and some platformed wedges you are good to go - 70's style but in a more chic and subtle way like Miss Corningstone here!

I hope this gives you an insider into what style will be big this spring/summer and tell you what items to keep your eyes on next season!

Nail Polish Collection

Like any collection, I feel it's important to have a variety even if it means that your collection contains something quite quirky or different to what you'd usually use/wear. Over the years I've owned a collection of nail varnishes as they were always given as presents when I was younger or I would buy girly magazines which offered the freebie of a sparkly nail polish. Every 6 months I've tried to get rid of most of my collection either because the polishes aren't very good or that I personally am not fond of the colors anymore. I've ended up with this...

In the spirit of New Years, I've decided that I'm going to try and re-build my old collection by purchasing nail polishes from the drugstores that hopefully will be of higher quality than my ancient freebies.

Here's a few different items in my collection...

Recently I've added two new sparkled nail polishes - Maybelline Color Show in Tutti Fruity and Claires in Little Angel. I rarely like wearing sparkly nail polish on my finger nails, therefore I've been really enjoying both of these on my toe nails to feel a bit more glamorous and festive.

The one nail product that stands out is my BarryM Matte Nail Paint in Vanilla (341). This is one of my favourite nail products as it's a very neutral color with a slick matte finish which has been quite popular in the past year or so and it's also different to what I'd usually wear - variety.

I've received two new polishes from Rimmel for Christmas - 320 Rapid Ruby and 300 Pop Your Pink. I've only had the chance to use Rapid Ruby and so far I really love it. You only need one coat as it's a very strong red with a lovely finish. I look forward to using Pop Your Pink in the near future as it's nice to have a bright pink on your nails I feel.

The newest addition is one I bought the other day in Boots when Maybelline were having a 3 for 2 deal - this will be discussed in a future post. It's another Maybelline Color Show in the color Berry Fusion and it's quite metallic compared to the Rimmel Polishes. I'm wearing this color currently on my nails and it looks really lovely and isn't sheer in the slightest.

As I said, I hope to add to this small collection by adding more variety over the next year. I hope you all had a great New Years Eve and Happy New Year everybody!

Parka Jacket - Never-ending Trend

An item that I've wanted for a while now is a khaki coloured parka. So many hight street stores have been selling them over the years but this year it was almost taken to another level with a wide variety of styles and interpretations of the coat.

With parkas being very highly priced I decided to wait until Christmas to get one - it was definitely worth the wait. 

The one I own has a quilted lining but a fleecy hood with a fur edging. The lining keeps me cosy and warm, something essential in a coat! I really love how it's been constructed as it allow you to tug the waist line in, showing off a nice waist.

The fur detail adds a touch of sweetness and warmth to the coat which completes the Winter feel of the parka. 

To wear with it, I like to wear plain black trousers/leggings with my black leather Chelsea Boots - keeping it simple. And to accessorize, my most worn scarf tucked in because I love adding this pattern to a fairly understated outfit.

I definitely recommend buying one of these, particularly if you live in a cold climate for the upcoming months.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas or you're enjoying your holidays!

Lazy Winter Day!

It seems to be getting colder by the hour here in the UK, making it very hard to stay motivated to get off your derrière!

I'm sure most of us have had the opposite of what we wanted this weekend - stress, stress and more stress! Of course this is most definitely the last thing we want a such a wonderful time of year, but hey-ho!

With the blistering winds and my failed attempt at a 4K jog (I won't venture into that today) I've tried to stay as warm as possible, inside the house. Wrapped up in blankets and drinking countless cups of tea with eyes glued to a screen, I decided that I wanted to find my creativity and do something productive!

Baking is something I've always really enjoyed ever since making animal shaped biscuits and thinking I was Mary Berry - I've definitely developed my skills since then! Last year I learnt how to make short-crust pastry which is something tricky to nail if I'm honest because there are so many cautions. With the pastry making skill learnt it was straight forward to make homemade mince pies.

Yesterday I used Delia's recipe for mince pies as she is brilliant and obviously knows what she's talking about, being an incredible chef:P I was quite surprised with the results actually, I managed to roll the pastry very thin which is key as no one wants to eat sick-thick pastry. The idea is for short-crust pastry to be light and crisp which luckily I managed to achieve.

If you've watched The Great British Bake Off, with Mary Berry herself then you'll know the astounding achievement that I am about to share - there were no soggy bottoms!

They may look very messy - mincemeat bulging out of the pastry but I feel that it shows thought and that it's homemade and not bought from a shop.

You should definitely have a go at making these yummy mince pies if you're having a chill-out Christmas Eve. Click here for  Delia's online recipe or, if you have her book 'Delia Smith Complete Cookery Course' (a very large paperback) then the recipe for her short crust pastry is on page 497 and the mince pie recipe itself is on page 502 - is it sad that I knew that off-by-heart? How did that happen?

I hope you all have a smashing Christmas and holiday! Merry Christmas!

Finding your personal style

Style can either mean the world to someone or very little. Not everyone has their own personal style - because they tend to follow all trends or just haven't found it yet.

I feel that personal style is somewhat of an identity, for instance, if you're wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase you'll be commonly identified as a business associate.

Many people have very unique styles that sometimes don't appear in magazines or stores, showing confidence and staying true to their personality and how they like to present themselves. Others will go ahead with the trends and stick to what's put on the mannequin.

Then there's groups of people who haven't decided or cared about this identity of theirs. If you are someone who's looking to discover your personal taste, firstly think of your personality and who you are - are you edgy? Shy? Wild? Think of this question quite carefully whilst shopping.

There'll always be the staples in your wardrobe, items that will suit everyone and go with everything! These include a white shirt, black jeans, a cosy cardigan or sweater and ballet pumps. What you want to do to achieve your personal look is use one of these items but add a twist on it. This could be a twist as subtle as a ring or a big bow, whatever you feel represents you.

I always like to know the current and upcoming trends of course, but I try not to look like every other girl on the high street.

I always like to wear a bold item that makes a statement - my favourite item being my red wellie boots which are bold and add a spin on the classic Chelsea boot. I don't like to be head-to-toe bold as I find it's too much on a shorty like me :P

Pairing the wellies or another bold piece with slightly more subtle items to complete your outfit equals in a great outfit!

I understand that the grunge style isn't for everybody as we all have different looks with features such as bone structure and hair. But it's about incorporating grunge and turning it into what fits your style. For instance, if your look is feminine or slightly smarter, change the tartan trousers to a skirt and add a pair of black boots. Instead of a studded leather jacket, go for a simple mac or a coat of your choice.

Remember, go for items that are true to you, the people around you may not be wearing the same thing but that's what shows your identity and how unique you are which is something you should definitely be happy about!

I hope you're all enjoying your week and that you're on form for the holidays!

The Ever-so-classic White Shirt

I think we can all agree that the white shirt is one of the most timeless pieces of clothing out there. They work on everybody, there isn't anyone who can't wear a simple white shirt.

Although it does vary in the way that people wear and accessorize the shirt. Personally I like to tuck a white shirt into my disco pants or plain black jeans and layer it with a jumper so that the collars are poking out creating an elegant, sweet look.

A lot of people will see a white shirt as business-like and too smart for everyday. This is not the case. Even though the shirt is so simplistic, the amount of different fabrics and cuts you can have is endless! The collars constantly change, the length and sleeve length goes on forever in it's variety!

If you're looking for a new white shirt, I suggest going for one that's of a sheer fabric with a classic pointed collar as this will be the trend in Spring/Summer 2014. When you go sale shopping at the end of the month and the beginning of January look out for these shirts as they are a staple in anyone's wardrobe!

Be certain of what length you have as the high-waisted trouser style is returning again in 2014 so I recommend the length to go as far as your lower hip so that you can tuck your shirt into the high-waisted trousers - very 70's indeed.

If you're planning on wearing your shirt over leggings then you may want to go for a slightly more tunic styled shirt so that you cover more of yourself if you want to feel more comfortable. This length can always be used to tuck into high-waisted items to give a more relaxed and baggy feel to your spring/summer look.

Nearly all high-street shops are selling white shirts so grab them and trust me you'll get so much wear out of it. If you want to go for something of higher quality but more expensive then All Saints are brilliant for silk and sheer white shirts and you could also pick up a leather skirt to match if you feel like treating yourself.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend!