I Walk The Line...

Hey guys,

As promised I want to share with you my most recent photoshoot :) The photos are meant for the magazine Lula and are inspired by Walk the Line and Mad Men :)

 

Model : Ali Newton

Make up : Katherine Raffo

Hope you like them :) All feedback welcome :)

If you close your eyes...

Hey guys,

I realise it has been ages since I last posted! I blame the amount of uni work I have had over the last couple of months I feel as if I haven't had time for anything else in my life. I have just handed in two of my units and have one more to go yay! So thought I would make a bit of time for my tiny corner of the internet :)

So I haven't had much time/money really for shopping recently however I have picked up a couple of bits here and there... This is one that I picked up in the Topshop sale last week and I have fallen in love with it!

It was £15 in the Topshop sale! Absolute bargain! Here I have layered it over a body con top and leggings but when summer is in full swing I think it will look great on its own :)

Also for some reason my hair is looking uber red in these photos which I'm not complaining about :)

I have recently finished a photography project at uni and would love to share the photos with you on here so keep your eyes peeled :)

Hope you have been enjoying the beautiful weather :)

These bruises make for better conversation...

Hey Guys,

I wanted to share an outfit with you that I wore out on Thursday night with my housemates :) 

Us students have been working like crazy this week with deadlines coming up and figured we needed a night out just to forget about uni work for the evening. So as a house we headed out for a meal at The Cowherds in Southampton and seriously nothing makes you forget about uni work more than a chocolate brownie with ice cream mmmmmm :)

It was quite a casual affair so we didn't get too dressed up but at the same time wanted to make the most of being able to leave the confinement of our bedrooms and put on something that wasn't trackies and a hoody!

So I went for the classic skirt and top with a pair of heeled boots :)

I bought this top recently from New Look and I am so glad I did! It is a three quarter length body con top which comes down long enough that I don't need a body con skirt with my flimsy - likely to blow up in the wind - skirts :) Also I love the longer sleeves as it stops me from throwing on a cardigan over the top of EVERYTHING :)

This skirt I bought from ASOS marketplace from KMQvintage and I absolutely love it! It is the perfect length on me and I can't wait till the weather warms up and I can frolic around in it in the sunshine :)

The heeled boots are New Look which I purchased on eBay and have been create for going out for a meal or a couple of drinks where I want to look nice but my usual heels would be too much :)

Happy Mothers Day to all of the amazing mums that we just couldn't live without, I don't know where I'd be without mine. Unfortunately Sunday for me means work so I won't be able to spend the day with her but I've made sure she got a card and some flowers to show my appreciation :)

How will you be spending Mothers Day? Any nice plans with your mums? :)

Strawberries Taste How Lips Do...

Hey Guys,

Wanted to share a few more items that I have bought recently during my spending spree in H&M and some basics I purchased recently from New Look :)

Here I am wearing a burgundy cardigan which I bought in the H&M sale for £7 I think it is going to replace my standard black one as I just love this colour!

I am also wearing a basic white T-shirt which I bought in the Tall section in New Look it came in a pack of 3 with a grey one and a black one for £12.99 and they are great for tucking into skater skirts for a casual look for when I'm just going into uni :)

I am also wearing a black skater skirt I got from New Look for £9.99 before student discount! I've wanted one for a while but hadn't found quite the right shape or length for me but this one is perfect! 

The only issue was when taking these photos I may have flashed my photographer Hannah about a million times as every time a gust of wind came the skirt blew up around my ears! Luckily I always wear body con skirts under skirts like this! 

I am also wearing my New Look boots which I actually purchased brand new on eBay for £10!

Its hard to tell from this windy photo but here I am wearing this cute headband I found in H&M for £1! It is a plain black band with feathers attached to a chain so that they fall with your hair :)

I now have so many basic items its unreal, but I always think you can never have too many as they go with literally everything :)

Do you have a lot of basic items in your wardrobe?

Jo

xoxo

And As He Turns Down The Lights, I'm Feeling Paralyzed...

Hey Guys :)

So yesterday was the first day of Uni Days offering 20% discount at H&M which me and my housemates were extremely excited about (possibly more than any normal human being would be) So as soon as I finished uni we headed straight there to buy anything and everything we could get our hands on while we could get 20% off :)

Surprisingly I didn't come away with that many items but I did buy a BEAUTIFUL dress which I am about to share with you :)

It is a gorgeous burgundy colour, although it looks more pink in these photos for some reason... The dress is actually sleeveless but I am wearing it with a body three quarter sleeve top as it was so chilly outside! It also has this really nice collar detail which I wouldn't normally go for because I find they sit quite high up on me which I don't usually like, but I think it works well here :)

I am also wearing my favourite accessory of the moment which is my bowler hat! I just can't get enough of it! :)

I realise many people would say that wearing red with red hair clashes but in my opinion they just bring out the colour in each other :)

The dress was only £14.99 before the 20% student discount, so a bit of a bargain really :)

What do you think of my dress and bowler combo? If you're a student have you taken advantage of the discount yet? if not, why not?? :)

Jo 

xoxo

It Feels Like a Perfect Night To Dress Up Like Hipsters

Hey guys,

Hope you have had a lovely week with pancake day and valentines and all that jazz! Me and my boyfriend don't tend to do valentines day to be honest, I don't need a specific day to tell him I love him :)

We do however celebrate PANCAKE DAY :) Which this year also happened to be my housemates birthday which meant starting off with a delicious meal out at a mexican restaurant complete with nachos and cocktails <3

Hello 2 4 1 cocktails :)

This is me and the birthday girl <3 oh yeah and I dyed my hair red :)

We had such a nice evening with yummy food, great company and amazing cocktails!!!

To top it off we then headed home to make pancakes with the rest of our housemates which was slightly unsuccessful as we bought a pancake mix... never again!

This is the outfit I wore out for dinner with my newly dyed hair :)

Hope you had a great week :) Did you do anything nice for pancake day? or Valentines? I'd love to hear about it :) 

Jo 

xoxo

30 Random Facts About Me

Hey guys,

I've read quite a few of these posts recently and I love them! I love finding out little details about the lives of the bloggers you read about daily :) So I thought I would jump on the band wagon! Some of these facts if you know me will come as no surprise :) I went for 30 facts rather than 50 as my life really isn't that interesting!

1. My middle name is Michelle and it was chosen by my older brother as that was the name of his girlfriend at the time (he was only 4!)
2. I was born in Glasgow and moved to England when I was 9 months old
3. I have been with my boyfriend since I was 16 (I'm now 22!)
4. I've known my boyfriend since playgroup and he has lived round the corner from me most of my life
5. Our first date was probably a bike ride because thats what we did pretty much everyday for the first summer we were together :)
6. I have never broken a bone
7. I had to touch wood as soon as I finished typing that last one
8. I want to be able to do things without learning.. For example as a child I tried ballet, karate, gymnastics, swimming, golf, guitar lessons and piano lessons and quit all of them!
9. I hate my legs, you will never see me with bare legs unless I am lying on a beach in a country far away
10. I have size 9 feet!
11. I buy a lot of shoes because anytime I find a pair in my size its such a novelty I just buy them!
12. I am ambidextrous 
13. I did a tandem skydive when I was 19
14. My first holiday abroad without my parents was to Magaluf with my boyfriend when we were 17
15. I blush very easily
16. I've never bitten my nails
17. I still drive my first car which I got when I was 18
18. I write with a fluffy pen everyday at uni (child at heart)
19. I'm a bit of a control freak (I just like things done my way!)
20. I hate it when my underwear doesn't match
21. I can't go a day without chocolate (literally! it's like an addiction)
22. I've never been to a festival
23. I don't wear trousers (except at work)
24. I have the same group of friends from school
25. I love cows and own a lot of cow related paraphernalia 
26. My housemates reckon I have a thing for bald men (Seriously though Jason Statham is like the hottest man alive!)
27. I am very squeamish! (My boyfriends knee cap once went out of place and I had to try comfort him and stop myself from vomiting at the same time!)
28. I've always wanted bigger boobs!
29. For years I believed my parents when they told me that when my brother was little he was so fat they use to roll him down the garden!
30. My best friend has been doing summer and winter seasons halfway round the world for the past two years and yet she is still my closest friend and always will be :)

Thought I'd end on a happy note :) Hope you enjoyed reading and getting to know me a bit better :) If you can relate to any of these random facts leave me a comment I'd love to hear form you :)

John Greed Jewellery's Valentine’s Day Blogger Challenge

Hey Guys,

I have just found out about this amazing competition by John Greed Jewellery to win every Jewellery item you want this valentines day (to the value of £250) All you have to do is create a post like this one saying which items of jewellery you would pick and why then past the URL of your blog post into the comments box here :)

Hot Diamond Silver & Diamond Just Add Love Spontaneous Locket Necklace

£79.95

This is the first item I would pick to give to my best friend Jess as she is currently doing a 6 month winter season abroad and I miss her so much, I think it would really make her Valentines day to receive this beauty in the post <3

Links of London Silver and Cord Fuchsia Pink FEED Heart Bracelet

£75

The second item I would pick would be this gorgeous Links of London bracelet. I have wanted a Links of London for so long but never had the funds! Not only is this one an amazing Fuchsia colour but the money also goes to a good cause. "The simple act of buying this charming friendship bracelet will ensure that 50 meals are provided to areas with high HIV/AIDS rates"

Soda Pop Black & White Wonderland Clock Pendant

£8.95

This pendant is so cute and such a reasonable price! I have been looking at getting myself a pocket watch necklace, obviously the ones i've been looking at have a real clock but I would settle for this pretend one just for the cool black and white design and the  cute image of the bunny on it :)

Pandora Silver and Pink Zirconia Heart Charm - £40 

 Pandora Double Woven Pink Leather and Silver Starter Bracelet - £45

Lastly I have chosen these as it is Valentines therefore I wanted it to fit in with the theme!

I have always wanted a Pandora bracelet and this leather woven one would be perfect for day to day wear :)

All of these together come to £248.90 which for this much beautiful jewellery I would say is a bargain :)

What do you think of my entry? If you've entered too leave me your link below I'd love to see other peoples entries :)

Sitting, waiting, wishing...

Hey guys,

So i'm halfway through my first week back at uni for this semester and so far have been to 1 lecture and 1 seminar as the others have all been cancelled! So overall a good start to the year!...

I have however got an outfit post for you :) You will notice it is very un-snowy due to the fact that all the snow is gone :( We haven't had any more since Friday so all of the beautiful white stuff we had has sadly melted away in the rain :(

Here I am wearing my new leather look pleated skirt that I picked up in Primark for just £5!!! I have been eyeing it up for a while at full price which was still only £12 but I wasn't sure how often I would wear it but for £5 I don't care if the only time I wear it is for this photo, it was worth it!!

 But I do love it and reckon I will get a lot of wear out of it :) I have teamed it with a New Look blouse that I got last year that I love as it fits me really well and unlike most blouses it is long enough on my arms as quite often I find that long sleeved blouses stop halfway up my arm so it just looks like it has shrunk in the wash!! 

I am also wearing my new, New Look heels although you cant see them very well in this photo but they were also a bargain at £5 in the sale! I couldnt believe it! I didnt really need another pair of black heels but at £5 its kinda rude not to right?

I've got to say I am really into the whole blouses tucked into skirts look right now, I find it quite flattering on my figure as it hides my hips and shows off my waist a bit :)

I'm pretty much sorted for clothes at the moment but top of my wishlist for accessories is a bowler hat! I've seen so many bloggers wearing them and think they just look amazing and finish off any outfit but not really sure if I can pull one off..

I really like this one in Topshop but it is £25, a little out of my price range for something I'm not even sure if I can pull off!

If anyone has found any cheaper versions elsewhere please let me know :)

Jo

xoxo

365 Photo Challenge - Crash and Burn

Hey guys,

So i've realised that I am pretty much failing at the whole taking a picture everyday! In my defence i've been pretty ill and haven't really felt like taking pictures and I can already foresee myself getting back into uni projects and neglecting the challenge so I am going to quit while I am ahead! 

To be honest the photo challenge was my way of blogging more because it gave me something to blog about but it has become a bit of a chore finding something to take a picture of everyday as unfortunately my life isn't as exciting as I would like therefore my photos became very mundane!

I will continue the habit of blogging more often but will wait till something of relevance comes up to blog about :) As I said I will be starting new uni projects soon so will have plenty of photography work to share with you :)

 In the meantime I do have an outfit post of what I wore when I went out with the girls last week for cocktails and cheesy disco music :)

Excuse the photos taken against the wall in our house, it was pretty dark outside as we were just heading out!

Jo
xoxo

Day 12 - 16 of 365 Day Photo Challenge - Cocktails and musicals

Hey guys.

I've had an insteresting week this week (despite being pretty ill the past few days) I have had a week off uni before I go back Monday for the second semester and it has been a pretty good week filled with cocktails, movies and snow :)

Day 12 - On Tuesday me and my housemates had a girly night out involving delicious cocktails and cheesy music :) This picture is of my delicious Pina Colada (Koko colada in Turtle Bay)

Day 13 - On Wednesday we went to see Les Miserables at the cinema and it was incredible! I've been wanting to see the stage show for ages and never got round to it so when the film came out I just had to go see it and it definitely lived up to my expectations :)

Day 14 - Unfortunately on Thursday I was at work during the day till 3 then spent the rest of the evening in bed feeling very ill so taking a photo was the last thing on my mind

Day 15 - On Friday we had SNOW! Since living in Southampton this was the first time we have had snow so I was very excited about it and couldn't resist making snowmen! This image is the view I woke up to on Friday morning :) I also couldn't resist taking some outfit pics with a snowy background :)

Did you have a snow day filled with snowman making and hot chocolate? :)

Day 11-13 of the 365 Day Photo Challenge - Feeding my shopping addiction...

Hey guys,

Ive been a bit busier the last couple of days so have some slightly more interesting photos of the day :) 

Firstly on Saturday I had a lovely visit from some friends from home :) Me and my housemate Hannah met them in town for a spot of shopping and a delicious lunch at The Slug and Lettuce! One of my favourite places to eat at the moment :) It was such a nice day :)

Got this gorgeous lace top in H&M which turned out to only be £6 as when I got to the till they said it had gone into sale :) yay me! I also got some Aussie shampoo, conditioner and leave in conditioner as I love their products and they were on 3 for £10 in boots :)

Sunday was boring as usual because I have work.. but in the evening I took some pics of my old camera lens as I got a new one for xmas so i'm putting my old one on eBay :) If anyone is interested the link is here :) It is a Canon 17-85 mm zoom lens :)

Today me and my housemate Hannah went for a run as part of our new years resolution :) I've got to say it feels good to be getting exercise but at the same time it really hurts!! I guess no pain no gain! So after working up a sweat I jumped into a hot shower and smothered myself in Vanilla body lotion from lush and sat with a hot crumpet and hot tea, after which I felt 100% better :)

We then decided to take a wander round town, Ive been desperate to wear my new velvet skirt that I ordered a couple of weeks ago from Boohoo and now have the perfect blouse to wear with it :D

This is the outfit I wore to town :) I love my new shirt tucked into this skirt and my leather jacket just finishes off any outfit perfectly :)

What do you think? :)

Jo

xoxo

Day 7-10 of the 365 Day Photo Challenge - New Outfit :)

Hey guys, 

I realise it has been a few days now since I have posted so this post is going to include photos from the last three days :)

Day 7 - This was me planning my outfit for Wednesday :) I had a presentation at uni which I hate doing so I thought if I was wearing a nice outfit I would feel a bit better about it :) The shirt is one I bought last year from Primark and the skirt is a new one from Boohoo, its such a nice fit as its a skater skirt and flares out perfectly on me :) You can find it on the website here.

Day 8 - This is me ready for uni on Wednesday :) This look is also on Lookbook :)

Day 9 - Thursday was mostly spent chilling out at home drinking fruit tea from my new Cath Kidston mug :)

Day 10 - This is the view from my bedroom window this morning :) I love waking up to a beautiful blue sky, even if its freezing outside!!

Please excuse the horrible background in the photo of me, we don't have many nice places near our house to take pics so a brick wall it is!

That sums up my rather uneventful week :) Ive got friends round for a girly nice tomorrow which should be lovely and then I imagine I will be working most of next week but I will still be taking my daily pics :)

Jo

xoxo

Day 4,5 and 6 of 365 Day Photo Challenge - My uneventful weekend...

Hey guys,

Over the weekend I have come to realise that blogging my photo of the day every day is going to be more of a challenge than I thought, therefore I will make an effort to post everyday unless i'm super and then I will post a few photos in one post :)

As nothing eventful happened over the weekend I have a couple of rather boring photos, which is going to happen inevitably because lets face it no ones life is "omg today has been so exciting I just have to take a picture and document it" every day!

So this is Saturdays photo - I bought new make up! Yay! I love getting new make up, I always get it in my head that because my make up is all nice and new it is going to make me look twice as beautiful... it never works out that way...

I don't spend a lot of money on make up, mainly because I am a student and can't afford to! I tend to stick to Maybelline New York for a lot of products because I buy my foundation from there and often they have 3 for 2 offers so I end up buying everything else! However I ALWAYS buy my powder from Natural Collection in Boots because I have tried so many different ones and so far it has been the best and at £1.99 i'm not complaining :)

I also bought a new eyeliner from Barry M to try it out, I always use a fineliner one and it tends to smudge a bit during the day so I decided to try Barry M's waterproof version so see if it makes a difference and it really did, I wore it to work yesterday and it stayed put all day long! Definitely a winner!

This is Sundays photo - I work at Primark yay... Work is always uneventful! However I did get to see two security guards tackle a kid to the ground for shop lifting, highlight of my day!

This is todays photo - I went for my first run/walk/crawl today! It felt good/painful :D 

Plan on doing an outfit post on Wednesday as my photo of the day so look out for that! :)

Jo

xoxo

Day Three of 365 Day Photo Challenge - New years resolution!

Hey guys,

As I mentioned before one of my New Years resolutions was to start running 3 times a week well... todays photo of the day is something which will make this resolution a reality!!

Yes its a pair of trainers how exciting!! Before today I didn't actually own a pair of trainers which pretty much goes to show how unfit I really am! But no more, from monday morning me and my housemate Hannah are going to start running... how far I actually run is yet to be decided... might just see how far I get before my body gives in! 

Wish us luck :)

Jo

xoxo

Day Two of 365 Day Photo Challenge - You are Gold!

Hey guys,

Todays photo again isn't the most exciting but its just a way for me to document my year :) So today was mostly spent getting uni work done for going back next week :( Yes sadly the holidays are over and it is back to the real world... 

However I decided to cheer myself and carry on the christmas spirit into the New Year by adding a bit of sparkle...

I got this gold Barry M nail varnish for christmas and wasn't sure about it at first as I usually stay away from gold due to my pale complexion but it was actually quite subtle and I really like it :)

The downside is it needs about 3 coats to come out as a solid colour but I guess it means you could have it even more subtle if you wanted...

Do you wear Barry M nail varnish? Whats your favourite?

Jo

xoxo

Day One Of 365 Photo Challenge - Lush Beauty Regime

Hey Guys :)

So today is the first day of my 365 photo a day challenge (would have started yesterday but had to go to work then sleep forever so didn't get round to taking any photos!)

Day one isn't the most exciting but I thought I would start with a pic of my new beauty regime of 2013! I got a few products from Lush for christmas as I absolutely love their stuff but can never normally afford it. Some was stuff I already use and some was new things to try! 

The Vanilla Dee-Lite body lotion I use at the moment, it smells incredible and is a great constancy - quite thick so it goes onto your skin great and it soaks in really quickly so you aren't left feeling greasy afterwards plus the smell last for ages :)

Snow Fairy I have had before as it was recommended to me by my housemate Hannah and I love it! It is a shower gel and It also smells amazing and leaves the bathroom smelling of bubblegum which I'm sure my boyfriend appreciates! 

The popcorn lip scrub I haven't used before but I do have the bubblegum one which does the same job only with a different flavour :) I think they are great and I often use them after I have applied my foundation because it means any trace of foundation on my lips are gone and I can apply a lip balm afterwards and I'm ready for the day :)

The Blousey shampoo and Retread conditioner I haven't used before but a friend of mine works in Lush and said that they are great for damaged hair! Although my hair isn't necessarily damaged I used quite a lot of heat on it and want to prevent it from drying out :) I tried these the other day and my hair felt amazing all day and smelled amazing too! The shampoo smells of banana :) 

These would be the kind of products I would use maybe once  week or less as they are expensive to buy and really my hair just needs a bit of TLC every now and again :) 

Do you use products from Lush? Or do you think they are overpriced?

Jo 

xoxo