Lifestyle: Before you board a plane

I'm on the plane over to Spain for a bit of summer sun before Autumn starts! I packed way to late and am pretty sure none of my outfits match and to top it off I had a right old mare in the departure lounge. Here are my tips for you based on what just happened:

1. Make sure you pack a hand cream. I had the choice between a cheap Garnier one which leaves my hands super oily or some £15 rip off from L'Occitane. I miss my S&G Hand Food already.

2. Plan what you would like to buy. I get so excited at the prospect of all the crap I might buy (and definitely don't need) that I end up overwhelmed and  not buying a thing, except for hand cream. I was after a NARS counter but I know there's one in Sephora near Las Ramblas.

3. Buy a drink.  I'm parched on this plane & reuse to pay €3.00 for a mini can of diet coke.

4. If you already regret not buying Benefit's They're Real Push Up Liner, you definitely should have bought it. 

5. Should have got the Bose Mint headphones too. £139 is a lot for something which could be put towards a new MK bag.

6. Basically just buy what the hell you want; you are on holiday after all.

Hasta Luego!

Lifestyle: V Festival 2014

Recently I headed back to V Festival in Chelmsford for the second year running. As you may well know I had the time of my life last time and was keen to re-live it. The majority of last years festival family went along with a few new faces which made for fun new memories I will treasure forever. I saw amazing acts including The Killers, Justin Timberlake, Bastille, Ed Sheeran and so many more.

 I was going to go through the weekend and talk you through my experience but I think the pictures say much more than I ever could.

Thank you V Festival for providing me with the best weekend of 2014 so far and allowing me to create memories with some of my best friends. 

Lifestyle: Summer Soulstice 2014

Do you remember when I went to Summer Soulstice last year with my family? No? Here's the post.

As you can see it was glorious weather and even a tan was had.

Not this year.

Rain, rain and cold and rain. Not that it dampened the mood (ok it did for a while but once I got had a few ciders in me that soon changed).

Bracelets: Miss Selfridge

My Dad was asked to DJ this year which made him very happy and I was very proud to be his daughter; I definitely have the coolest Dad out of anyone I know!

"Channelling my inner farmer - nobody looks perfect being in the wet and cold all day"

The food is always great at these things - lots of food trucks serving fish & chips, Caribbean food, pasta, pizza and these wraps! Oh my God it was like chicken, chorizo, halloumi and lots of other great crap all thrown together. 

Again a really great family day out, it's so rare we get to spend time just the four of us so even though the rest of the family didn't go I'm glad we still got to have a fun day out. And an even funnier 4 mileswalk home with Dad pissed out of his head...

Fashion: Nike Blazers Liberty Edition

I've always wanted a pair of Nike Blazers. As much I hate to admit it I can be a bit of a sheep when it comes to fashion, if there's a trend I like I'll be all over it however I seem to take the plunge with things about 3 months after everyone else. And when I do join in I like to put my twist on it...like these.

When I saw Liberty where joining up with Nike for a collection I waited and waited until the release date and of course they sold out everywhere online. Not living in London meant I checked daily for online stockists to have them in but it was not to be. Cue me dragging my friend Andy around Soho to find me a pair after the first England world cup match (we were slightly hungover so big thumbs up for that)! 

I finally found some in Topshop's Oxford Circus store and spent a while deciding if I could justify spending £95.00 on them; Andy and two shop assistants insisted they were perfect for me. So of course I got them. There's only one print available but on a variety of styles. I personally love the print, it's not too girly (these are in fact unisex) but still more feminine than the other blazers out there. They look amazing with jeans and denim shorts.

I am so happy I took the plunge with these although they are more of display piece; in which I mean you wouldn't want to get these ruined at a festival or a muddy park but they are great for anything without lots of dirt (they are just too pretty to ruin).

Now if Liberty were to put their brighter prints on some more blazers I could see my bank balance having a very big problem...

Beauty: My Smooth Leg Routine

Summer is well and truly here now which means I am living in dresses, skirts & shorts. The only downside is trying to keep my pins nice and smooth but I think I have nailed a routine so thought I would share it with you!

Step One: Exfoliate

You need to start off with a good scrub down to remove any dead skin and give your legs a smooth surface. I really like any of Soap & Glory's but currently enjoying their Scrub of your life as although it really scrubs away it also foams well and moisturises. 

Step Two: Hair Removal

The bane of all our lives right? I usually dry my legs slightly and pop some shaving foam on. I find if you don't have any baby oil works wonderfully too! I love Venus razors I think they are the best and definitely worth the money. I never cut myself shaving or snag my skin at all!

Step Three: Tone.

This isn't a necessary step but I find that using a body brush once dry helps get your circulation going and reduces any signs of cellulite. I love using Champney's Mineral Detox Firming Hip & Thigh Gel* after this step to help firm things a bit. The only thing about this product is it smells like men's aftershave, which is lovely but it's slightly strange for a product aimed at women!

Step Four: Moisturise

I feel this is the most important step! Your legs are now smooth and hairless but they will be dry and not so silky to touch unless you moisturise. I have plenty to choose from but recently I've been loving LUSH's Sympathy for the Skin* which has bananas (my favourite) in it, which are known for softening the skin. This stuff lingers on you for ages and is so rich which I love as I hate moisturisers that disappear 20 minutes after putting it on.

What are your best tips for getting summer ready?

Fashion: Mint Shorts in for the Match.

Shirt: Primark

Shorts: New Look

Shoes: Primark

Bag: New Look

Watch: Michael Kors

Sunglasses: Primark

Excuse the photo I had to get my friend to take a quick snap and seeing as he's a lad I don't think he'd appreciate me posing away by the side of St. Paul's Cathedral. I love my new mint shorts they are so versatile and I love this outfit. It's really comfortable and quite dressed up without being too put together. To sum it up it was perfect for walking around all day and transitioned perfectly into the evening. I did have a little black cardigan from Primark in my bag for when the rain made an appearance. 

Hey i just realised this outfit goes with my blog design....

Lifestyle: The England Match in London.

Yesterday I headed down to London to visit a good friend of mine and couldn't have picked a better day. Okay the weather decided it wanted to mess with us and my attire wasn't exactly appropriate for the wet spells (OOTD to follow) but where better to support England in the world cup than in the capital?

We started our day out at Tower Bridge for a long walk to St Paul's all the way down to Waterloo. We sat on the steps of the cathedral with all the tourists catching up after not seeing each other in four months and wandered down the Millennium Bridge where we came across a man colouring in chewing gum into funky shapes. It was so strange but kind of cool; not sure it's a hobby I'd like to have. The sun started to come just as we hit South Bank which is definitely my favourite place to go in London there's always something going on; Mars were there handing out free ice creams!

Next stop was Shoreditch to have a tinker around Spitafields and grab some drinks at The Big Chill. It was around 5 and the atmosphere was beginning to heighten for the match. Everyone was in good spirits and we sat chatting to strangers for ages. I love talking to random people! We went to the Urban Food Fest near Box Park to refuel where we got Tacos and sat on a stoop to enjoy them, I had one of each flavour; beef, spiced halloumi and lemon chicken. They were beautiful.

My phone died for the remainder of the evening but I'll fill you in. We headed to Camden to KOKO to watch the match. It's like an old theatre which has been renovated to a place where gigs are held. It's full of red walls and dark velvet, very Moulin Rouge so of course I loved it. The ratio of guys to girls was a little intimidating especially when the match got started. The language jeez!

You all know how we got on so I won't go into that. But when we did score those boys pretending like I was one of them and I have the bruises and a swollen ankle to show for it. Nonetheless I really enjoyed myself. I should definitely watch football more often! 

This morning we headed to Soho to the Imli Street, around the corner from the breakfast club, for a quick breakfast before I went to pick up a big (and expensive) treat I'd been wanting for ages and some of Dad's favourite aftershave for Father's Day. 

I've had a lovely albeit busy weekend and very happy to be in bed with a hot chocolate and a small ice pack on that ankle. 

Happy Sunday!