Essie's Ballet Slippers

Please excuse the mess of my cuticles, I am getting my nails done on Thursday!

I was very kindly gifted a selection of Essie nail polishes, a brand which I can't believe I have never tried. I was forever loyal to Models Own but my mind has now been opened to endless possibilities!

I thought I would start with perhaps the famous of the bunch I have got in my collection, Ballet Slippers. A sheer, milky pink colour which to be honest doesn't really suit my skin tone. It's a brilliant one for work though as I can't go without nail polish on, ever. It could be a top coat for any pinky shades I have. It's just a bit...boring. 

Saying that the application is brilliant. A lovely brush which applies a really smooth formula. It dries quite quickly too! I have some others to show you soon which I much prefer. Although this one isn't really my thing the formula the polishes I've tried have drawn me into the brand a little bit more.

Summer Soulstice 2013

For the last few years my family & their friends have packed up their gazebos, camping chairs and cool boxes and headed down to Barnet, North London every last weekend in June. Summer Soulstice is a outdoor music festival specialising in, yup you guessed it, soul music. It is held in memory of a local man Andy Weekes who spent much of his time on the cricket and sports ground (where the event is held) and had a huge passion for music. The locals put the festival on to raise money for a local charity and in the last 7 years have raised a very substantial amount of money.

I finally got the chance to come along this year so was very excited! My house is always filled with music rather than TV and it's all we listen to. No Radio One in my house! We all head to Tesco and spent stupid amounts on alcohol and snack food to keep us going.

We arrived about 11:30am to set up and were one of the first groups there. We saw these three poor lads take over an hour to put their flimsy gazebo up which gave us great enjoyment!

Our base camp was done with 15 minutes!

I invited my friend Andy down with me as I know he was brought up to love the kind of music my family do. And because he's bonkers.

The drinks swiftly began to be consumed. My drink(s) of choice where Strawberry & Lime ciders followed by vodka, elderflower cordial & lemonades. As the night went on I think I was drinking Bacardi - YUCK!

We decided to get the party started as the venue slowly filled up. My Mum and Aunty pretty much lived in the dance area all day and night.

The venue started to fill up and with the temperature reaching a nice 25 degrees the party really got started!

Andy was our camera man and we think it may have knackered him a bit. He needed a nap to get pumped for the nights festivities. After some food - a healthy mix of fish & chips (damn the Jamaican stand running out of curried goat) and candy floss we proceeded to drink much, much more and dance our feet off until 11pm! Highlight for me? Doing the electric slide with roughly 500 other people was something I won't forget in a hurry.

There was about 4,500 people there and it was just the most relaxed atmosphere which we all really enjoyed. There was a really good mix of ages and I think everyone just wanted to have a dance and enjoy the music; it wasn't about getting absolutely wasted (I'll save that for V Festival)! I will definitely go again as it was such a lovely way to spend the day with my family!

My obvious lack of presence.

So there's one reason main reason I haven't been around lately. My phone is no longer with me at the moment & the camera is slowly giving up hope. Who want's to read a blog without pictures? Not me that's for sure. This hopefully will be sorted by the time I go on holiday as I have some excited trips coming up in the next few weeks and I'd love to take you along with me.

I also don't have many things to review at the moment as I am saving a big Boots trip with my friend Chloe until a few days before holiday! We don't have a Benefit counter near us so may have to do an online purchase as I am really lusting their The Bronze of Champions Total Bronze Make Up Kit. I literally will not need any over make up for holiday apart from my beloved Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 30!!

Today is Father's Day so I better go make my Dad a bacon sandwich before I head of to a Christening later. The weather is being so annoying that I really can't decide what to wear!!!

New Look Wishlist.

I am so in love with New Look right now. They have everything bang on trend and I have made 2 orders online in the past week. Oops. I didn't order anything from above but I am dying to get my hand on the blue printed trousers in the tall section & it's taking so long for them to be in stock! (New Look if you read this please put more stuff in the Tall section). I love love love the playsuit and the peach is a beautiful colour and the material is a silky one but on my long limbs it's just too short, you know unless you wanna see me bum cheeks, which I highly doubt anyone does. I think if I was to order anything else for holiday it would be the flower print dress as it is just so lovely and the cutaway shows the right amount of skin without being too showy! I swear I live in skater dresses.

I highly recommend New Look if you are about to jet off on your holidays!!

Graduate Fashion Week

So one of my best friends got the chance to showcase her amazing work on the catwalk at Earls Court on Tuesday for Graduate Fashion Week. I was in bed at home with an awful cold! Luckily my friends and her family kept me up to date with every second as it happened so I did not miss a thing while I was in my dressing cold clutching a green tea.

Mia has just finished her three years at the University of Northampton and has done a BA Hons Fashion but specialising in Textile Design. 

Now if you know Mia as well as I do, the colours she chose for her collection are quite surprising. She is a total pastel colour fiend when it comes to her own clothes and I always wear mega bright clothes so when she suggested royal blues and hot pinks I knew it would be right up my street.

Photo Taken from Huffington Post

Now I am no fashion expert because I have not done a fashion degree like a lot of my friends but I would say Mia's stand out pieces are her clear plastic coats with colourful vinyl patterns on them. I love a good Mac! My favourite pieces are the silk screen printed scarves though, I asked for one as a present. She then proceeded to tell me how much silk costs per square metre so doubt I'll be getting one until she's famous. 

What do you think of her collection? Pretty cool huh?

Courtesy of Mia Felce's Instagram!

One of Mia's friends, Kiran managed to scoop the Zandra Rhodes Textile Award so I thought I would big her up also! It's ever so cool knowing people who have done so well!

Photo Taken from Huffington Post

 All these bright prints make me feel so happy and summery and I need the shoes her models are wearing in my life!

I realise this post is a bit different from me but I just wanted to share some amazing talent with you! I hope know you will agree with me when I say they will both go far.

Laura Ashley Dream Bedroom

I redecorated my room this time last year and I love it, but if I had the money to spend in Laura I would definitely buy everything there. Blues are my favourite colours and I think blue and white bedrooms feel so clean and fresh! My wishlist incorporates this but also has a dash of grey because I can't keep everything clean; I'd get exhausted!

There is currently a competition on The Quarter Life Tales of Annie Bean where one lucky person describing their dream bedroom gets £1,000 to spend in Laura Ashley...exciting right? My wishlist comes in well over £2,000 but if I had to choose one thing it would be the floor to ceiling mirror, it's been my interior designer dream to have one of these and get ready with my friends.

If I don't win...I've had plenty of fun lusting over these beautiful things. When I finally get my own place I think I will be very very poor!

I have a problem. It's called buying everything I see...(HAUL)

H&M £7.99

2 for £8 New Look

£13 Primark

£5 Primark

£10 Primark

£10 ASOS

 A few things I have collected in the last few weeks. I particulary love the last spotty top, the back is really interesting! I am getting into crop tees as well, the little of waist on show with a skater skirt is really flattering whereas I thought it would make me look awful! The mint green dress is such a beautiful colour, I may wear it to a Christening I have in a few weeks time!

There's a couple of things I want to get before my holiday in 5 weeks including a maxi skirt and dress but am finding it difficult to find ones for someone as tall as me. Damn my long legs! If you see any pretty ones let me know!