BABYGOTHGIRL

my moon my man

2012-03-13T00:54:00.002Z

jacket: topshop, top: tu at sainsbury's, scarf: vintage, leggings: h&m, boots: topshop and necklace: topshop. second image: unknown source via tumblr.

i went for a little bit of a print clash today, polka dots and snake print combined with trusty black! i don't really know why.. i do like the whole major print clash trend that flickered through SS2012 shows, so i translated it to my not-so-bright-and-in-your-face wardrobe.
today i had the loveliest day in a long while. it started off a bit nerve-wracking however. i had a client meeting with helen saunders from selfridges this morning. i have a live project at university, doing the visual merchandising concept for the selfridges window displays through summer of 2012, we have to come up with a concept, work on the visuals/styling/idea/budget/mechanics then present it all in two weeks time! the meeting went fine, we got lots of advice and any criticism we got was very constructive anyway - so it's all good.

then i met up with two friends, sophia and szabo. we'd planned to go visit a little exhibition at the ICA, but it was shut - typical. so we sat in the park and soaked up the sun for a while.. then went to see saz's boyfriend timothy at work in this newly opened little café curator's coffee studio near monument, in london. the interior design is beautiful too, a play on balancing out opposites. old vs. new industrial space, natural wood vs. man made metal.

the counters made with a feature piece of weathered wood, covered in metallic spray paint. the turquoise door frames matched the shiny new drinks machines. the handwritten menu's hung on mauve hessian cloth behind the innovative ipad till system. however, i love the little touches the best. the tiny, handle-less mugs of tea and the vintage looking drawer set (home to the coffee condiments) that was attached to a grey breezeblock wall.
the place is lovely. the food was amazing! for being a pretty fussy eater myself i tried all of the deserts and snacks we were given - free of charge too (we were first day of opening customers, thank you again!) soft thick banana bread, savoury muffin with cayenne cream and chocolate brownies with our complementary cup of lovely green tea!

soph x

p.s - my post title, can't stop listening to 'my moon my man' by feist
p.p.s - currently reading a melancholy afternoon (saz's blog!)

summer transition wishlists

2012-03-05T12:25:00.000Z

it has to be said, zara do create some amazing clothes. i'm constantly in awe at the new materials and textures and colours they use every season. the zara buyers are always on top form, and this summer is no exception.

i these four items would be amazing in my summer wardrobe. i'm still not very into the whole 'REALLY BOLD AND IN YOUR FACE' colours, so knowing me i'll going to stick to pastel, greys and whites with lots of denim i think. i adore the pleated flowing skirt of the dip dyed grey dress and the pale swirls of colour on the light kimono jacket. i'm also going to try a dip dye denim shirt of my own when i have the time.

however, one purchase i bought last week totally contradicts my above statement, this t shirt from asos totally caught my eye and i had to have it hahah.

still.. i love it and i wear it with a lot of black.

i'm also well into footwear brand vagabond. it's not stocked very widely in the uk so it's pretty hard to get a hold of in a store, but i seriously would love any of these pairs of shoes. i love the thick soles.. they would be a subtle nod to the hugeeee creeper trend going on at the minute but a lot less ...err hardcore(is that the word? probably not..) haha!

link me some of your wishlists/polyvore accounts?
soph x

autumn/winter 2012 favourite shows

2012-02-29T02:27:00.001Z

MARY KATRANTZOU

a full spectrum of colour in some ensembles, but a beautiful variety of monochrome pieces too. bold geometric prints using watch faces, typewriters and hb pencils within the patterns, oriental shapes and skirts contrasted with flowing babydoll dresses and peplum skirts, fierce heavily applied eyeliner, simplistic 80's style stilettos, rigid structural pieces combined with flowing feminine chiffon.

HELMUT LANG

skinny jeans, thigh high suede boots and slouchy wool jumpers, thick gathered snoods and scarves, structured leather and fur biker jackets, strictly monochrome, that perfect white blazer, exposed shoulder, rusty coloured suits and blouses, dirty prints, golden creams and minks, sheer knitwear, shearling and bare winter tree patterns.

McQ (WOMENSWEAR)
strong womanly shapes and full skirts, heavy velvet and jaquard, texture and layering, sheer full length sleeves and long line leather gloves, renaissance style over the knee lace up boots and cinched in waistlines, florals in embroidery and lace.

JIL SANDER
rich red hues, pastel pinks and jet blacks, beautiful corsetry creating hourglass silhouettes, two tone flowing coats, soft coral lips and sleek updos, wet look leather skirts, elegant jumpsuits, metallic silver slip dresses and detailing.

GUCCI

black black black, velvet maxi skirts and gathered black chiffon, emerald greens and plum, huge fur coats, sleek tailored suits and belted smoking jackets, patent black riding boots and deep raspberry lips, luxourious and dark femininity, channelling styles from the military, seventies, romanticism and sometimes piracy.

a few favourites so far... many more to come
soph x

la fascinate

2012-02-26T22:18:00.004Z

a post/review of this particular lipstick has been long over due... i got this chanel lipstick for christmas would you believe. it's beautiful, it's so soft and creamy yet it stays put for hours.

the matte velvet finish is lovely too. and the true deep red colour is flattering on pretty much every skin tone. i received number 38 'la fascinate' which is the colour that featured in the advert campaign just above, which coincidentally was the first of the colours to sell out completely! so if you see this floating around a chanel counter.. grab it! you wont regret it i promise you that.

soph x

stylespiration 15

2012-02-24T19:36:00.000Z

fine knitwear, dip dyed chiffon, extra skinny jeans, layering different textures, sheer panels, mauve and mink, thick fur coats, dark lips or dark eyes, full fringes, two tone manicures, studded boots and black. clash print nail art and anything mary katrantzou.

image credits: here, here, here and here

a blog to follow 06

2012-02-13T13:00:00.001Z

all i can say is S V A R T S V A N U R.
i could just go on and on about this girl's style, and i could go on and on with a blog filled with her pictures, but honestly just follow her. veronika has impeccable style, amazing use of colour, the best shoe collection ever and her own jewellery line.

this post and the images are only a few images from some of her outfit posts. her blog http://svartsvanur.blogspot.com/ is one of my all time favourites. you'd be mad not to follow her - effortlessly cool.

outfit, somebody that i used to know.

2012-02-12T18:24:00.003Z

fur coat: topshop, denim shirt: h&m, navy jeans: new look, fur biker boots: topshop, bag: select, scarf: ebay

necklace: handmade by me, labradorite ring: camden, greek ring: a gift from athens, serpent ring: ebay favourite mochachino ever: puccino's.

what an absolute whirlwind of a week. i've been so busy and literally haven't had a chance to sit and blog properly. plus, all of my picture taking technology has either ran away from me or broken lately.

so to add to my string of bad luck.. i had my brand spanking new iphone 4s stolen/lost last thursday night when i was out in london, still not sure what happened there, but hopefully i can get a new one soon-ish. then my nikon camera and it's memory card have been going crazy, not good whatsoever. so these are some pictures i managed to reconnect with from my iphone through the wonders of icloud, how clever!?

the outfit was a casual day shopping in oxford street, with some close ups of my jewellery. i bought some cute little skull beads from ebay and about 3 metres of black thin cord from a local haberdashery and made the little necklace which i loveeee!

how's everyone doing? last weekend my friends from home (abby, gabrielle and charlotte) visited me in london, we had a very busy weekend. two lush nights out - one in epsom and one in sutton. 4am half drunken snowball fights in the park, dancing like maniacs to busted in wonderland, major hangover cures at nandos, vintage shopping and chinese food around camden, eating chocolate and ice cream in bed watching movies and having an amazingly good and authentic homemade indian curry.

soph x

organised - - mess

2012-02-02T12:33:00.000Z

don't forget to go over to my other blog, organised - - mess it's more like a scrapbook/archive/visual library of things that interest me. they could images of a film, illustrations, high end fashion editorials, amateur artists, lookbooks, exhibitions, campaigns - anything i like really...

it would mean a lot of you followed along, it's pretty good if you want some inspiration or just to look at some pretty work. all the images in this post are snippets of collections of work on organised - -mess, and they are all fully linked to their original source over there.

ALL OF THE IMAGERY ABOVE IS CREDITED AND SOURCED HERE.
soph x

life in pictures 03

2012-01-31T19:10:00.002Z

01. my outfit for a cold day at home + my new boots
02. pretty flowers from my friend charlotte
03. my beautiful sarah hankinson calendar
04. a little bracelet i made with a skull bead and some cord
05. my baby, charlie.
06. saying bye bye to durham again and heading back to london.
07. the bright young things exhibition in selfridges window.
08. getting my nails done with the girls at home

so last week i spent the week at home in durham, it was a rollercoaster of a week. this week back in epsom/london and i went to see the bright young things window displays in selfridges, i love them every year. the designers and brands are so innovative and inspiring.

i also made that cute little skull charm bracelet with some cheap cord from the haberdashery and some really cute skull beads i bought from ebay.

soph x

stylespiration 14

2012-01-31T01:54:00.001Z

soft pastels with harsh black, blood blue lips, icy chocolate hair, simplistic spikes, fishnet and layers, patchwork nails, masculine shoes, long line biker jackets, anything ninties, worn out coats, effortless cool, alcohol in hand, thin silver rings, embellished leather, metallic paints and clicked knitwear.

just checking in

2012-01-27T11:36:00.001Z

hello! sorry for not blogging much this last week, i've been so busy and had so much on my mind.. blogging seemed a little trivial(?) to me.since sunday, i've been at home and i'm due back into london tomorrow night.

i've had a pretty draining week, coming to terms with some things, allowing myself a night out, getting my money stolen on said night out, catching up with people i havent seen since august of 2011, eating my weight in chocolate and ice cream and buying some new topshop boots to cheer myself up a bit.

i'm currently purchasing loads of random bits and bobs from ebay, like a pearled collar, jewellery wire, iron on studs, carabiners etc. just to spruce things up and make some stuff.

my latest endeavour is making a studded iphone case, however i haven't a clue which design to choose, i tried out a few last week - which do you like? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6?

i'll be back blogging properly soon, soph x

books books books

2012-01-23T17:00:00.000Z

01. juergen teller marc jacobs advertising 1998-2009 02. 100 ideas that changed fashion 03. nylon street view, the new nylon book of global style 04. the encyclopedia of crystals 05. it's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be 06. 100 years of fashion illustration 07. icons of fashion 08. dazed & confused making it up as we go along.

recently i'm also a little obsessed with flicking through and collecting art/fashion/illustration books. these are 16 titles from my ever growing wishlist! i've borrowed a few from the university library, but it kills me when i have to give them back. i would love my own copies to create my own mini little library. however first - i need space for a book shelf!

01. amelia's compendium of fashion illustration 02. fashion illustrations by fashion designers 03. creative walls 04. fashion designers sketchbooks 05. alexander mcqueen - savage beauty 06. illustration now! portraits 07. a thousand things by jason mraz 08. illustration now! vol. 3.

charity shop shirts

2012-01-21T19:30:00.000Z

i must say, i've recently become obsessed with buying blouses and shirts, in particular mens shirts from charity shops! they have the best simplistic, tailored and most appealing shirts compared to the high street at the minute. i've wanted a bold striped one for a while now and i found this one the other day for £3, i love how structured men's shirt collars are and my necklaces fits perfectly underneath them!

(worn with navy jeans from new look & burgundy loafers from usc) lipstick: clinique '17 - rosette', jacket: topshop, shirt: charity shop, necklace: h&m.

my wardrobe is they only thing i keep tidy. i have to to find anything in there! look how squished and small it is! stupid student room. i can't wait to move into a proper student house next year and hopefully(!!) have a bigger wardrobe, or a place to stand some extra clothes rails or something!

i like the contents of my wardrobe at the minute, lots of muted shades, patterns dotted around every now and then, lots of black and lots of shirts.

who else has blogged the inside of their wardrobe? link me haha!

soph x

angel aura eyes

2012-01-21T12:33:00.000Z

i thought i'd share with you some final images from the photography and styling unit of my university course. i handed in my project last week and got my marks back yesterday, i was really pleased with them. my shoot was based around mixing textures, balance, layering, crystals and details. i chose to go with a simplistic colour palette - of blacks, mid greys, pure whites and subtle hints of colour.. which was mainly through make up, location and jewellery.

i had to create sketchbooks of personal style, street style photography, inspiration and research of my shoot. i made up six moodboards of fabrics, textures, colours with test shoots and camera techniques i tried out. i wrote a 550 word description of the shoot and my journey to the finished outcome aswell as presenting and mounting my work in the style of my chosen magazine material girl.

i chose to call my shoot after my favourite crysal, angel aura - here's a description of it's meanings and qualities (here).

click here to look through my entire photography portfolio
soph x

sigma make up brushes

2012-01-20T16:51:00.000Z

just a quick post about my favourite little brushes ever! for christmas this year i got the sigma 'make me classy' brush set with a travel box/brush container. you should have seen my old make up brushes, they consisted of an mostly broken, scruffy, odd brushes collected from random make up sets over the years. i asked for this set for christmas because, sigma brushes are pretty expensive. this set worked out at roughly £85 with shipping from the USA, instead of about £110 when you buy them separately. to me, they are totally worth it! the brushes are well designed and your make up seems to just glide on when you use them!

the set consists of 5 face/contour brushes, 6 for eye make up and a lip brush too. the set is a mixture of natural hair brushes, synthetic and duofibre brushes too, so for me it's an all round amazing kit.

here's the list of brushes in the kit:

eyeliner - E05 An extra-fine tipped synthetic fiber brush that delivers a precise, firm, even stroke to line the eyes.
pencil - E30 - precise application of color on the crease, outer corner, and upper and lower lash line. also ideal to smudge out pencil liner. natural bristles.
tapered blending - E40 - rounded and tapered top. specially designed to apply and blend color on the crease. natural bristles.
eye shading - E55 - soft and dense with a rounded finish. can be used to apply pressed or loose eye shadows and pigments. ideal to build intense color on the eyelid. natural bristles.
large shader - E60 - flat shape is ideal for application of cream formulas and eye shadow primers. it also works great with loose eye shadows or pigments. can be used to apply color all over the lid or precisely on the lash line. natural bristles.
small angle - E65 - essential for the application of gel or cream eyeliner on the upper and lower lash line. this brush is also excellent for filling out the eyebrows. synthetic bristles.
medium angled shading - E70 - angled, tapered, flat top. ideal to apply highlight shades underneath the eyebrow and on the inner corners. it can also be used for a precise application of darker shades on the crease area. natural bristles.
large powder - F30 - very dense with a rounded top. ideal to apply powder products on face and body. natural bristles.
large angled contour - F40 - the angled shape makes this brush ideal to apply blush or contour shades. natural bristles.
duo fibre - F50 - specially designed to generate an airbrushed finish when used to apply liquid foundation. it can also be used to apply blush, highlight shades and loose pigments. blend of synthetic and natural bristles.
foundation - F60 - can be used to apply liquid or cream foundation. it is also recommended to apply moisturizers and conceal large areas. synthetic bristles.
concealer - F70 - the rounded, tapered, flat shape makes this brush ideal to conceal the under eye area. it is also recommended for a precise application in small areas. synthetic bristles.

soph x

stylespiration 13

2012-01-18T19:00:00.000Z

source: milkteef

layering everything, fine silver, ugly boots and shoes, metallic hints, mixing muted prints, feminine blouses, acrylic nails, grey shades, effortlessness, lace and leopard, quartz, jet black everything, clean make up and icy nail varnish.

outfit post, making it up as we go along

2012-01-18T17:30:00.000Z

shirt: forever 21, cardigan: new look, shorts: vintage levi's, loafers: new look, necklace: h&m and bag: an ancient thing from barratts.

on tuesday me and kirsty went to somerset house to have a look around the dazed and confused exhibition showing until 29th january. it's called 'dazed & confused, making it up as we go along' - it's a celebration of the past 20 years of the company/brand/whatever.
to be honest i wasnt expecting amazing things but i totally loved it. the imagery was so diverse and pretty cool. i'll do a picture heavy blog post about it all tomorrow.

but yeah, this was my outfit. i wasn't too happy with it so to be honest i don't know why i'm posting it. it was pretty uncomfortable and i look a bit huge but never mind.

i do love my new forever 21 shirt though. polka dot hearts are sooooo cute. i also added this cute h&m necklace under the collar which i bought the other day, i thought it was a nice little accent.

have you guys got any good exhibition recommendations or sights to see in and around the london area?!

soph x

life in pictures 02

2012-01-17T20:46:00.002Z

01. dazed and confused, making it up as we go along exhibition at somerset house
02. southbank, london
03. my new skull shirt from topshop
04. kirsty's possible new tattoo - which i drew out for her
05. spending my life on trains
06. new spotted shirt from ebay
07. university christmas last week with the flatmates
08. sketchbook work, vivienne westwood
09. fashion work, playing with light refraction through crystals
10. sketchbooks slowing taking over my life!
11. one of my uni christmas presents, book of skulls
12. cocktails in the mexican restaurant with uni girls
13. mulberry year of the dragon tokens
14. the view from my flat window
15. st. christopher's place, by night - london

outfit post, shopping with kirsty

2012-01-16T15:43:00.000Z

me and kirsty went shopping on oxford street the other day. we went into the mulberry shop and picked up a few little chinese new year dragon money envelopes, they're so cute. see what they're about on mulberry's blog. then we had a huge wander around topshop, forever 21 and h&m, then had a pizza express. here's what i wore.

coat: topshop, shirt: h&m, dress: topshop, necklace: tiffany&co, bag: mulberry, leggings: primark and boots: river island via asos

apologies for my insanely fluffy coat, it's in desperate need of a dry clean! i do like this outfit.. it's pretty frumpy but it was comfy and easy to wear. i enjoy experimenting with layering recently, dresses with shirts and coats. layering t shirts with jumpers and collared shirts.

oh! and i saw the topshop jacket i added to this wishlist in real life and now i want it even more!!! the mushroomy colour is perfect from the winter to spring transition!

soph x

the ragged priest

2012-01-16T14:14:00.001Z

i adore this brand, whenever i go into topshop oxford street i pretty much start drooling. the ragged priest clothing stems basically from punk customisations of vintage pieces, but in a new and innovative way, beautiful!

how amazing are the metallic gold leaf collar tips, studded leather shoulder patches, bleached and dip dyed shirts and finally, the snake printed denim?! i want it all.
just a quick appreciation post about the company, i'm sure i have blogged them before(?). oh lord those studded doc's are calling my name.

i can foresee several DIY's on the horizon... watch this space
soph x

i need your advice - spiked shoe chains

2012-01-14T01:54:00.000Z

this is a very important do i / don't i situation everyone.

i swear, every since these gorgeous shoe chains appeared with a little 'coming soon' symbol over at regalrose.co.uk i knew i was going to need them, or something very similar ...(or just pretty much the same please).

they would be mine already.. if it were for the steep £39 price tag, evidently the same price as the boots i would adorn with these chains! are they worth it? does anyone know of any similar chains for boots.

i love them so so so much, but £40 is just a little too expensive dont you think?

soph x

a wishlist and some positive thinking

2012-01-12T14:27:00.000Z

it was a total coincidence that the last few things i added to my polyvore library were generally based around this taupe/beige tone. i must subconciously love it lately.. my next mission is to hunt through the charity shops to find items of a similar shade (although i've just gotten my new student loan installment, it was eaten up by rent payments sadly) - more shifts at work please!

i also think i'm going to get a pair of leggings/jeans to try out the tie dye effect on the topshop jeans above, it looks easy but i'll let you know further details in due course haha! i'm not paying £45 for what's probably a one season trend, hehe.

i've been working solidly since i got back from my fortnight at home to get my second big university project/presentation together. i showed it at 1 o'clock today in front of some other girls on my course and my unit lecturer and stylist katy lassen. it was pretty nerve wracking and i hope i didnt mumble in my 'alien' north eastern accent too much! i usually have to slooooww myself right down when i'm living in london.

so, now i have two more weeks off university.. i know! so i'm going to concentrate on my new gym membership, weight loss and healthy eating, sorting out my endless to do list, booking some tickets home for a few days, earning some more money, get some decent blogging done, rehash my photography portfolio online, sort out my old laptop for my little brother and many other things.

anyone got any nice plans for january/february?

soph x

gareth pugh for mac make up

2012-01-09T00:17:00.002Z

i absolutely adore this gareth pugh/mac collaboration. i can't believe my mam actually got her hands on two pieces of the collection before it was snapped up within a day of it's launch! love her. i received the lipgloss and lipstick for christmas and i loveeee them. especially the gloss, even though i'm not usually a huge fan and tend to sway more towards lipsticks. the 'outrage' lipglass has totally amazed me.

the lipstick in 'fervent' is a deep blue toned purple, a solid colour lipstick. i do love it but feel the need to tan my face to death every time i wear it, it's very dark - but lovely.

i even adore the shiny/black checkered packaging, totally pugh.

picture taken with instagram, follow me my username is sophiexlobban :)
rubbish picture i know but here's what just the lipgloss looks like on bare lips.. clear iridescent lilac in colour with light catching green/blue glitter pigments. absolutely amazing over every single lipstick i've tried it with and perfect on it's own too.

soph x

stylespiration 12

2012-01-07T20:07:00.002Z

evil eye rings, dark denim shirts, floral knitwear, pastels, smoky sixties eye make up, spiked shoe chains, sequined collars, illustrations printed on shirts and plum lipstick.

wardour news

2012-01-06T23:03:00.001Z

today i hunted out wardour news, on wardour street london. i've never been more in love with a newsagents i tell you now.

i bought material girl magazine and oyster magazine both are very hard to find. wardour news is the only place i've found them, however i'm sure that they are elsewhere too. after hunting and flicking through what seemed like the entire shop me and my mam wandered oxford street and i played around with my new iphone! i've blogged this entire post on it - eeek!
soph x

chloé rose edition

2012-01-02T18:00:00.000Z

another recent christmas gift was this chloé rose edition perfume, i absolutely love it. it's the 'limited edition' rose version of the original. it's much lighter and flowery than the first edition which is what attracted my to it in the first place.

i always wear youthful bold perfumes, i tend to choose bottles with fresh, floral or sweet scents - like vivienne westwood's naughty alice and marc jacobs daisy eau so fresh. i don't like anything to heavy or musky.

chloe rose doesn't dissapoint, i've worn it everyday since christmas and a few people have picked up on how lovely it smells. i definitely recommend it. it seems to last a long time aswell - ideal.

what have you been wearing on the perfume front lately? any more recommendations?
soph x

my 2011

2012-01-01T23:55:00.000Z

january - the coursework month. embarking on my final term of a levels, therefore procrastinating in every way possible too. blogging lots, multi-tasking lots, photographing lots and finding room for a few nights out aswell, of course! new year drunkenness, a college shoot of gabby, a night out in sunderland and a blogging self portrait!

february - the drunken month. college work was underway which left lots of time and money for alcohol and socializing! i also went to see russell howards comedy gig in newcastle and caught up with friends i hadnt seen in a while! one of the nest nights in sunderland, russell at his best, catch up with olivia and the usual round for me and the girls!

march - the interview month. i went to see the script in newcastle with gabby and dan. i also celebrated st. patricks day with friends in huge green hats. i rounded up my college coursework while frantically creating a portfolio and travelling around the country for scary university interviews.

april - the chilled out month. i took some lovely pictures of little aaron for gillian and andrew as a newborn baby. i won free champagne from union whilst dressed as a leopard for rhys' birthday. a level media studies took up the rest of my life getting all my coursework and evaluations handed in. i also saw the amazingggg katy perry and her california dreams tour.

may - the gabby month. my lifelong friend gabby turned eighteen! an amazing party at her house with family and friends was on the cards, along side a baywatch themed pub crawl, gabby's first proper night out too. i created a photo book of a series of images i took in my grandma's home and me and the girls had fun in a photobooth.

june - the finishing month. i left my job at new look after almost two years, i still miss the lovely girls and boys i worked with there - much love. i finished college in june, now came the awaiting our results phase. i took my brother dominic along with me, sarah and shannen to the stadium of light for his 14th birthday to see kings of leon play, one of the best gigs ever.

july - the most amazing/most scary month. i went to see the vivienne westwood shoes exhibition with my mam this month. then me and my girls packed our bags for the most amazing week ever in corfu. we created dance moves to a million songs then had planking competitions, far too much ouzo, late nights on the beach and boat trips around the coast. i came home to face a pretty scary operation for the latter half of the month, lots of flowers and chocolate cheered me right up though.

august - the birthday month. this month i recovered for a fortnight then had some serious catching up with the friends, whilst i turned eighteen! i was given a beautiful mulberry bag and tiffany necklace. i got my A level results back, an A* in photography, an A* in graphic communication, an A in media studies and a B in AS level in english language too - over the moon. i then had another much more chilled week in zante with my mam, dad and brother to wind down after all the celebrations.

september - the moving 300 miles away month. september consisted of a last supper with my girls before packing up my life and wardrobe to drive 300miles south to epsom, surrey to start my university degree at UCA Epsom, studying Fashion Promotion & Imaging. i met my new flatmates and made some new friendships, felt insanely homesick, had too many fancy dress nights out!, caught the train to london lots, experienced london fashion week, got a new job in house of fraser and fended for myself.

october - the visiting home month. after a month and a half away it was time to have a whirlwind weekend at home. i caught an 8 hour megabus to durham, quickly changed and went straight out! i also went to see rihanna and calvin harris perform at metro radio arena with friends, helped through a baby shower for my then expecting friend shannen, took sarah to nandos for the first time and then unwillingly got another bus back south. halloween was round the corner so we went out twice, obviously. once dressed as wednesday addams, then as black swan!

november - the abby and charlotte month. i got a bus to manchester to visit abby in her student halls, a very hazy night out with abby and charlotte began, i remember nothing but buying jagerbombs on my card and sticking moustaches to my face - wine was to blame! shannen gave birth to a beautiful little boy called aaron. charlotte got the train to london the week after and i took her everywhere! the natural history museum, oxford street shopping in selfridges, to see a wicked in the westend, leicester square and out for chinese food. we were gonna go to ukf bass culture but couldnt be bothered and flogged our tickets. i then eventually did some university work and took some street style pictures on my first visit to carnaby street after waving charlotte off home.

december - the family month. christttttmassss time kicked off with kirsty's 21st birthday. a house party one night then a surprise tea party for the drunken birthday girl with a night out in kingston too. i somehow managed to get two weeks off work, so i headed home for christmas, met baby aaron for the first time. lots of family time was and still is just what i've needed and i don't want to go back to uni at all. christmas came around soooo quickly as did new year. a night out with the girls in durham was absolutely packed. my new year was a lovely one, staying with my family at the annual get together until 12.30am then catching a lift to charlotte's house party with lots of free drink. jack drove me home at 4am, lots of drunken phone calls occurred and i went to bed in my new years dress without taking one picture!

2011 for me has been an absolutely crazy year, such a rollercoaster of highs and lows. without sounding too cheesy, i really have grown up a lot this year. i've learnt so many new things, i appreciate my family so much more and feel slightly better in myself too. i hope the new year brings less stress, more happiness and routine, time for family and friends at home, healthier meals and slimmer waistlines, a busier university timetable and more student loan!

all the best everyone, have a lovely 2012
soph x

nails inc. polish set

2011-12-31T01:04:00.001Z

a recent christmas present was this gorgeous set of eight nails inc. varnishes. the mix of colours and tones is so varied and well put together. i also love how the set has a mix of pigmented and solid colour and a bottle of top coat thrown in for good measure!

4x solid colour varnishes, 1x top coat and 3x pigmented colour varnishes. the colour names from left to right are 'bennet street', 'wellington street', 'tavistock street' and 'jermyn street'. 'kensington topcoat caviar'. 'wyndham place', 'cadogan lane' and 'berkeley mews'.

christmas pressies

2011-12-26T19:22:00.000Z

(click here for a bigger picture)

hiya! christmas pressie post as promised. i'll keep individual pictures for later, for reviews and that sort of thing. i was definitely spoilt, i'm so grateful for everything i got. i totally love the lot.

for a rough list of main things, i was given money, chloé rose edition perfume, sigma 'make me classy' make up brush kit, gareth pugh for mac lipstick and lipgloss, chanel lipstick, a signed sarah hankinson illustration calendar and free prints of her work, topshop clothes and shoes, alexander mqueen book, smellies, cath kidston 2012 diary, dermalogica clean start kit, nails inc varnishes, three pairs of slippers and a snowglobe among a lot of other bits and bobs.

spent the rest of my day cooking myself a christmas stir fry (as i don't like roasts on any sunday!), then eating homemade christmas cupcakes, watching christmas tv and eating terry's chocolate oranges! yum.

wildfox jumper, your opinion?

2011-12-26T11:25:00.002Z

hello everyone! hope you all had an amazing christmas day, i did, i've been so busy lately but there's a post especially for christmas on the way soon. i did get some christmas money, like i'd hoped. however, i'm now struggling with what to buy as usual!

this gorgeous wildfox jumper comes in at a pretty extortionate £95 if you ask me. i've lusted after one for ages and this skeletal heart motif is gorgeous, but can i justify paying the price tag!? i just dont know.any opinions from wildfox clothing owners or opinions on the general design would be much appreciated :)

soph x

stylespiration 11

2011-12-26T01:18:00.000Z

nineties minimalism, nail art, collars and cuffs, blood red velvet, pale denim, acid wash, oversized coats, silver jewellery, almost gothic boots, thick knit snoods, grey socks with everything, monochrome or pastel, topshop alexandras, wine stain lips with a slight winter tan.

boots dilemma

2011-12-21T23:36:00.001Z

01. zara - £79.99

02. topshop - £90.00

03. zara - £59.99

i adore all three pairs of these boots. if i get any xmas money, it will most likely go towards a pair of these - but which ones????

a blog to follow 05

2011-12-18T18:41:00.001Z

new blog alert everyone! http://london-calling-fashion.blogspot.com/ is written by the gorgeous olivia gray. beautifully curly hair, amazing taste in handbags and to top it off she's a lovely person too! we've recently become friends as she studies the same university course as me, and bumped into each other at one or two parties.

here's a picture stockholm streetstyle captured of her at london fashion week. mulberry bag, topshop shoes and leopard print.

she's only recently starting posting regulary after a blog revamp i helped her create a few nights ago. however, she'll be blogging her own photographs of fashion endeavours, university work, personal style and other creative work i think (correct me if i'm wrong olivia!) so all in all, most definitely worth a follow.

all other images taken by olivia and feature on her blog.
soph x

my new blog: organised - - mess

2011-12-17T14:13:00.001Z

i've made a new blog called organised--mess.blogspot.com - a new visual library to document photographs, fashion, artistic collaborations and other imagery i find beautiful and interesting. i'll post regularly along side this blog :) i've got a few posts up and running already. follow along if you like it, or find it inspiring like me.

karl who?

2011-12-12T13:19:00.001Z

i've been meaning to do this little DIY for ages now, my own version of the infamous 'karl who?' bag by naco paris. karl himself found the witty slogan flattering and was seen wearing the shopper bag several times. i love it personally.. it's funny, practical and pretty cool - yet so easy to make yourself.

01. firstly i bought a pack of five eco friendly canvas shopper totes form ebay, it worked out at about £1 per bag.. i used this seller, they're so reasonable.. you can also get up to packs of 100 bags!

02. i asked for these t-shirt graffiti pens last christmas would you believe it. however, i bought them myself form new look but you could get them on urban outfitters too - and they've remained unopen since, waiting for me to buy things to decorate and scribble on until now!

03. then literally all you do it start scribbling! i sketched out lightly the basic lettering in bog standard HB pencil first to get the spacing right. used a picture of the original bag as a reference and built up the layers of pen for a deep, painted-on effect.

04. et voilà, you're done! finally to fix the pens so they dont run, smudge or fade ..just iron over the design on a medium heat to set it all. i'm so happy with the result!

jumper: topshop, tiny camera necklace: urban outfitters, spike necklace: therapy.
oh! one more things, this is a new jumper i purchased from topshop last week, i havent actually taken it off i love it soooo much. they come in a few colours, i bought this mink version and a cream one too - £26 each.

xmas wishlist

2011-12-12T02:05:00.001Z

01. sigma 'make me classy' brush set
02. chelsea flowers cath kidston diary
03. fujifilm instax wide
04. asos kiss ring
05. oxblood dr martens
06. evil eye vivienne westwood charm
07. any iphone old or new
08. some gareth pugh for mac make up
09. wildfox all over crosses t shirt

i haven't even asked for half of this stuff, so i wont end up even getting it from santa. i've finally compiled my perfect xmas list, but at far to late a stage - obviously!

to be honest i doubt i would have got the majority even if i had pre-warned mr claus - i got the expensive taste from mother dearest. i am in desperate need of new decent make up brushes - my scuddy selection are from here, there and everywhere, totally shocking to be honest.

i need that diary, so perfect and cute. i am rubbish at keeping dates in my head - a diary to write down my life is a necessity every single year!

the eye charm is back in stock! this may have to be a treat i buy myself from my next student loan installment ssssh. i have a vivienne charm bracelet, it just has no charms yet.. this one is pretty much the only one i want.

and finally, i do love the wildfox shirt, just how i wish the metallic crosses were silver!

hope everyone is feeling chrismassy!.. i have lots of blogging planned for the week we're heading into. some things are just the usual posting-ness and some will be very festive!

soph x

new shoes!

2011-12-10T15:01:00.001Z

i bought these shoes the other week, and i still havent worn them yet! i'm waiting for the right night out! i love the demi wedge, platform, thick cross-over straps and suede effect - perfection!

they were from a dirt cheap and dare i say, almost chavvy shop which is near where i live. they sell clothes you find in the likes of quiz and some of the rubbish you find on boohoo etc - i know you know what kind of stock i mean hehe. however, when you take the time to rake through the overly-tight lycra dresses and diamonté drowned tops there are actually some really nice things, like my new heels!

i think they're very similar to a few examples of heels i've seen in topshop, office and miss selfridge, i've posted a some of these examples below.. they range from £62 to £80. whereas i bought mine for a lovely £32, which isn't bad at all.

soph x

stylespiration 10

2011-12-09T13:05:00.001Z

pale pastels with black, organised mess, velvet - crushed and smooth, nail rings, creative t-shirts, prep chic, black skinny jeans, big boots, delicate silver jewellery, crystal pendants, thick knit scarves, pale acid wash denim, glitter, chunky faux fur coats and skull motifs.

apologies

2011-12-07T12:33:00.001Z

sorry for my recent lck of posting, i have a lot of uni work on top of my. my fashion promotion essay is done and submitted now so hopefully i should be back blogging properly soon as i have had a little splurge in topshop whilst doing some christmas shopping for friends and family.
i bought this velvet top in a charity shop the other day for £3. the rich burgundy colour is a favourite of mine, and i've noticed a gradual increase in velvet materials everywhere lately in topshop, lula magazine, vogue and through my own street style project.

so yep, i think i'm going to take pictures of everything today, in amongst dropping not so subtle hints about my christmas list to my mother dearest and buying some food for my bare cupboards! dont forget, i post an almost constant stream of twitpic photographs on my twitter right here, which illustrates what i've been getting up too whilst i havent been blogging!

hope you're all well, soph x

yen magazine, photo of the day!

2011-12-02T13:20:00.001Z

my photograph, which i took in austria whilst skiing a few years back is photo of the day on australian YEN MAGAZINE today, 2nd december 2011. i'm chuffed. i really love looking on yen's website - i cant find anywhere which stocks it in the UK, but i'm sure there will be somewhere! i just need to hunt it out haha.

i love the artery section, the illustrators and artists they feature are so talented and their work is beautiful. i want it stuck all over my walls to gaze at all of the time! it's well worth a look, it's very inspirational.

so yeah, you can like my photo on facebook, or leave a comment if you like :) it would be much appreciated. here's a bigger version of my photograph. it's one of my personal favourites too, with a lot of sentimental value and memory behind it.

"after having no snowfall for weeks, austria’s skiing mountains in kaprun looked as if they were too close early for summer – until this unpredicted and beautiful snowfall fell during the middle of the night. it really was the most amazing view to wake up to in the morning."

charlottes world-wind trip to london

2011-11-29T16:07:00.001Z

here's another more personal post, about things i've recently gotten up too! so it's gonna be a bit of a mixed bag. charlotte, one of my closest friends, caught the train down to see me on thursday/friday. i took her to as many places we could while she staying with me. first off, we caught the tube to leister square and bought some tickets for wicked!

then we went to the natural history museum! (she really wanted to go) so we had an educational wonder around, like little kids really. then we hunted out a really nice chinese food place and stuffed our faces.

next stop was oxford street to show her the selfridge's windows, christmas lights and general london hustle and bustle. we tried to star spot and charlotte was sure she saw ollie from made in chelsea hahah!

we then caught the tube back to victoria to go and see wicked!

me, charlotte and wicked go way back, i remember countless times we sat in her bedroom aged thirteen or fourteen(?) singing 'defying gravity' at the top of our lungs until her mam would shout at us both to shut up. i'd learnt the dances at my dance academy and charlotte had read the book - so we were both totally obsessed with it. i'm so glad she finally got the chance to see it, and i was the one to take her.

and then friday consisted of a grand tour of my uni hometown, a quick tutorial in university and then we were supposed to go to alexandra palace to attend UKF bass culture. however, being lazy buggers we couldn't be bothered - we sold our tickets via facebook to a girl and met up with her to hand them over.

we then came back into epsom, went for a meal before i took charlotte to see twilight: breaking dawn (another thing we had to do together, since it's tradition that we see all of the saga films together) after that, we had a few cocktails in wetherspoons - before heading back to my flat!

i kinda want her to stay down south with me all the time, i sadly had to say bye bye to her on saturday, until we're reunited at christmas.. love ya charles!
soph x

jay camilleri for new love club in topman

2011-11-29T13:00:00.000Z

i'm sorry, but this boy is just ridiculous. total crush on him ever since dirty sexy things aired, in my eyes he can do no wrong and i don't even care if i'm one of a gazillion girls. he's gonna bring out a calendar for 2012.. i need to get my paws on it.

i love how even through the way he carries himself, you can still tell he's a little self concious. i also like how he's not the average male model, he has more blatent imperfections, he's more real basically - it's so much better. the photographs he produces are more interesting and always full of expression and emotion.

i adore the first t-shirt, the graphic jumble of roses and snowy pistes - two of my favourite things. i'm going to try my hardest to get it.. a trip to oxford street is on the cards, again!

aw perfection!

after browsing this range... i discovered a few other topman t-shirts i want. who's up for a bit of androgyny?! i definitely am.

soph x

streetstyle in soho and carnaby street.

2011-11-28T20:19:00.001Z

after i dropped my friend charlotte off at kings cross i headed to oxford circus to have a wander around carnaby street and soho - i took a disposable camera and took some street style pictures of some cool looking people. their names and info are below each set of four. i really enjoyed doing this, i'm going to do some more for my uni project.

top left: luke - sixth form student
top right: stephanie - lcf student
bottom left: ro - fashion student
bottom right: chloe - manager of carnaby st. shop

top left: irene - travelling/a tourist
top right: darren - filmer
bottom left: francesca - student
bottom right: nicole - theatre designer

top left: nina - barbour shop worker
top right: chantelle - topshop visual merchandiser
bottom left: hannah and matt - couple on oxford street
bottom right: kate - works in liberty london

top left: gary - in soho, barman at playboy london
top right: angela - in soho, retired/lives in brighton
bottom left: polly - illustrator
bottom right: simon - works at global radio

this was a really big step for me.. stopping total strangers in the street and asking them their names, what they do and if i could take their picture! it was interesting seeing the difference in personalities, some were much more open.. they asked me questions back and had a laugh. others were in a rush, more unwilling but still open to their picture being taken.

it was also interesting seeing if their outfits co-ordinated with their personalities. luke, the boy in the oxblood dr martens, black jeans, checkered collar and heavy barbour jacket was softly spoken and seemed very sweet. and gary was definitely as bold and colourful as his electric blue blazer and red bow tie suggests! he was going to attempt "a tyra banks style smize" but opted for a cheesy grin in the end.

i did take a few more but they didn't turn out very well, so i'm going to draw illustrations from them.. and from memories of the outfits of the people who didn't want me to take their picture. mwahahaha.

soph x

bandwagon much? galaxy nails.

2011-11-24T14:00:00.000Z

okay, so i've been wanting to try out space nails after millions of tutorials and bloggers giving it a go. but i never had the right varnishes. until i spotted barry m 'hologram hexogram' in boots the other day! so i gave it my best shot! hahaha, here's the result.

i basically used a few bits of cotton wool to dip and dab little patches of a mix of all these polishes onto a navy blue bottom coat. added a layer of fine sparkle, then finished with my new big hologram varnish and a top coat! i really like the effect, but i bet it's a bugger to get off haha.

i also recently bought this shade of green, 'racing green'.. i love how rich and pigmented it is. love love love it.

winter wishlist

2011-11-23T11:55:00.001Z

pretty obsessed with red, grey, navy, charcoal, burgundy and black. i need more navy and grey in my wardrobe. everything on here is from topshop, so i'll probably never be able to afford it, i can dream of the perfect wardrobe though...

i love the fur earmuffs, however i'm currently searching for a lovely pair that also double up as headphones. the current selection of topshop's chelsea boots is to die for, i especially love the cut out detail in the black pair above. the quilted navy biker jacket is absolutely gorgeous, it would go so well with the majority of my outfits. the fur insert bag is beautiful too, if only i had a bit of spare cash to splurge on it.

whats top on all of your winter wishlists, as i'm sure you have them..

p.s - i would like to mention that a huge congratulations is in order to my beautiful friend shannen and her boyfriend on the birth of their gorgeous son, aaron. he was born on the 19th of november and 9am weighing in at 8 pounds - perfect! i've seen some of his first pictures and he's honestly the cutest thing alive. i cant wait to head home at christmas to meet him for the first time!

stylespiration 09

2011-11-18T11:53:00.001Z

crisp shirts, snake skin, deep velvets, vintage accessories, silver rings, black chunky heels, converse, fur stoles, black leggings, rosey pink lips, beige and black, lace collars, polka dot blouses, slouchy jumpers and frayed denim.

a revamp of my tumblr

2011-11-17T01:39:00.001Z

basically, i've had the same theme on there for well over 9 months... so i decided to go for a theme with more of an inspirational/collage/moodboard effect to it. i'm really loving it. i still update it with personal/inspiration pictures almost daily. i'd love to know what yours are, i'll definitely give you a follow of you over on there just leave me a comment below...

it's weird. i have about 1000 followers on my tumblr, here. yet on blogger you're so much more lively and friendly haha, and there's only 300+ of you here! so thank you. soph x

mac lipstick, lustering

2011-11-15T14:21:00.001Z

just thought i'd show you my new everyday lipstick! i used to have a lot of mac makeup last year, but since becoming a student this is not the case anymore. so i've replaced all my mac with cheaper versions - and i've recycled 6 of my empty mac product bottles and containers - by taking them back to mac! in return they give you a free lipstick.

i chose this one for everyday wear, the colour is called 'lustering A71' - it's a creamy, sheer but bright pink. it looks more like a really thick lipgloss than a lipstick but i do really like it. it has a nice texture and the colour lasts for a few hours.

you do have to keep applying if you want the colour all day, i'd say it lasts as long as lipgloss does.

you can see here the sheerness of it, the picture doesnt show it's pigmented shimmery-glossy-ness though!

soph x

lula magazine, issue thirteen.

2011-11-14T18:29:00.001Z

this months lula magazine is actually the first edition i've ever bought. i've barely been able to get my hands on it up north! so now that i'm down south.. i almost ran to selfridges to buy it when i was in london the other week. previous issues which i've briefly flicked through in librarys made me fall in love with this magazine. the femininity, flawless execution, beautiful writing and amazing images is just soooo lovely!

i've also recently bought dazed the photography special and interview because florence is on the cover. so, i thought i'd share a few of my favourite pages from issue 13. now i'm off to do absolutely shit loads of uni work so i can have friday night off to go to manchester to see two of my girls from home!

soph x

life in pictures

2011-11-11T12:00:00.000Z

basically, i've decided to start doing this little post every now and then. it's going to consist of a few blackberry images that some up some events of the last few weeks. i take a quick snap of pretty much everything on my phone, so i might as well share them somewhere. so, sorry if you don't really care!

01. the beautiful purple mulberry bayswater in oxford street 02. the brownie i baked as a 'welcome home' for my flatmate lauren, complete with her name in nutella :) 03. a load of photographs i printed to combine with the endless amounts of disposable camera images i have and created a new photo-wall in my university room 04. my desperate attempt to incorporate some vitamins into my diet by creating a huge fruit salad 05. issue 13 of lula magazine, which is absolutely beautiful - purchased from selfridges 06. and to finish, an enormoussss speciality pizza from pizza express when the parents came down to visit me the other week.

BLOGS I'M READING: PURDY MAID, SVARTSVANUR & SCHADENFREUDE

new jewellery

2011-11-10T15:49:00.000Z

i thought i'd take a few quick pictures of some of my new jewels when i finally had some time to kill during daylight! so here's my new earrings! first i got these cute little skeleton earrings from claire's accessories. they were originally from the 'halloween' section - but i wanted them to wear all the time!

second are some purple crystal earrings from topshop which i've had for a few weeks, i think i mentioned them before. i love how they catch the light and the deep purple colour is so nice - i should really wear them more often!

lastly are my little cross earrings from urban outfitters, i didn't want the huge crosses that UO seem to be doing a lot of variations on, i think they are a bit 'in your face'. so i opted for the mini silver versions. they go with everything and i love them! they were £8.

next i got my spiky necklace from therapy in house of fraser, which i mentioned here. it goes soooo well with all my shirts, buttoned up to the collar - perfect!

and this is my lovely little cameo, picked up from h&m for about £2.99. love love love.
soph x

collar tips and vintage shirts

2011-11-09T06:30:00.000Z

collar tips: ebay, shirt: charity shop.

hello! above is the picture of my new collar tips, which i FINALLY hunted down on ebay (here). i bought them for about £2 and p+p was about £2.50. so they were really really cheap and i couldnt be happier! they're literally just clip on designs. it all started back in september after seeing lucy williams (from fashionmenow.blogspot.com, i put her picture from stockholm streetstyle below) sporting the much coveted zara studio shirt with collar tips at london fashion week! i've been on a mission to find vintage style ones ever since!

another recent purchase is this shirt which my tips are clipped onto! i've been seeking a black shirt for ages and after high street shops just weren't delivering the goods i had a good rummage through epsom's charit shops. i found this beauty in the british heart foundation. i adore the slouchy fit, it's from the mens section and the subtle jaquard vintage pattern all over it! £4 well spent.

so i've added some collar-spiration to this post! i couldn't find a decent picture but watch rihanna's we found love video.. mel ottenberg styled them onto rihanna's shirt in the skatepark scene - when she's wearing the navy cap sleeve shirt and creepers, love it.

soph x

topshop fur coat

2011-11-08T00:13:00.003Z

fur coat: topshop, top: topshop, skirt: vintage, shoes: brogues, necklaces: vivienne westwood + tiffany & co.

here's a few really quick pictures of my new fur coat, i bought in oxford street topshop the other week when they had their 20% week. so this £100 coat had about £20 knocked off - my mam was in a nice mood and agreed to it being 'part of my christmas present' haha. i took the belt off it for two reasons, firstly because there is no way it fits round my waist and the fur coat - clearly not skinny enough.. and secondly it goes too nicely with my denim shorts, which i shall photograph later!

so yes, here's one of the many shouldn't-have-spent-that-money purchases! more and more to come soon....

urban outfitters wishlist

2011-11-06T02:44:00.001Z

recently, i pretty much want bloody everything from UO, especially these beautiful inanimate objects...

burgundy velvet chelsea boots, fuji film wide instax camera, cut out skeleton shirt, felt camera case, spotted shirt and of course some oxblood dr martens.

sorry for the lack of personal posts, i'm so busy with uni and my new job lately. i promise by next weekend i'll be back in the swing of things. i have so much to blog about!

halloween

2011-11-02T21:05:00.002Z

my halloween weekend consisted of two dress up sessions, one on the friday night and one on monday night! friday i dressed as wednesday addams and monday i dressed as black swan! here's a little photobomb from my spoooooky weekend.

also, here's a quick snap of my nails. they took me a little while but i loved them! i used my friends wah nails pens in black and white to create all the little pictures! a pumpkin, spider, web, dripping blood, bats, ghosts and skulls! wahooooo.

stylespiration 08

2011-10-30T17:04:00.001Z

images from here, here and tumblr.

black, gold and silver accents, vintage collar tips, crisp black shirts, bold block make up, oxblood docs, slouchy knitwear, clear nail tips, skull studs, black court shoes, dirty hair, aura + amethyst crystals and dark lips.

make up saviours

2011-10-27T01:22:00.000+01:00

i wouldn't really class myself as a make up snob, which i think some bloggers seem to give off. i'm not really loyal to one brand, i have favourites.. mac, clinique, benefit etc. however, if something really cheap does the job better i definitely don't complain.

01. erase paste in 'fair 01' - concealer by benefit.

a miracle in a pot, i love how creamy and thick this is, full concealer coverage and it feels so light on your face! i'm the lightest shade and it has lovely warm tones to it. i love the little lesson leaflet they give you, pictured below, which shows the best ways to use the product. so, retailing at about twenty quid per little pot, it's pretty pricey, but well worth the money.

02. play sticks in 'spin the bottle' - foundation by benefit

i recently ran out of my usual MAC studio fix fluid in 'NC15' and decided to have a change because i simply couldn't find a mac store near epsom! i went to the benefit counter with my mam and asked the for full coverage, matte foundation. the lovely girl on benefit told me the brand rarely does a full matte coverage, but their 'play sticks' is the closest to that and the most natural. i must admit, the cream-to-powder texture is perfect. however, i'm not so sure how long the product will actually last me, the stick of foundation is too easy to apply generously, so i hope it lasts!

03. volume million lashes in 'black' - mascara by l'oreal
04. exceptionnel de chanel in 'noir obscur' - mascara by chanel

03. this is a recent purchase because i didn't want my chanel one to run out quickly, so i'm currently alternating between these two. the volume million lashes is AMAZING. it's a medium thickness, so it's easy to build up to a thicker coverage over your lashes, which is usually my method. the brush is excellent, it separates lashes fully but doesn't take away the mascara too, you have full control - which i love. i can't recommend it enough!

04. i got this mascara as a gift from my best friend and i have to say, it's so good. the product itself is quite thin in density i would say, but i prefer it for days when i want my make up a little more natural. it can be layered and built up, but it's better just to use one coat in my opinion. it is best for lengthening and giving that nice dark texture, like you've just had your lashes tinted!

05. triple performing face emulsion - moisturiser by benefit

when i bought my foundation from benefit, i received this cute little sample of moisturiser. not being one to look after my face, i rarely use products apart from shovels of make up - so my face gave a sigh when i rubbed this into my skin. it's very light.. which is good for me, cause i feel like my skin is prone to breakouts easily lately. however, i think it kind of nourishes and targets the dry areas of my face too, which is a bonus. i may have been persuaded to buy the full sized bottle now!

06. blusher in 'pink orchid' - by barry m
07. stay matte pressed powder in 'peach glow' - powder by rimmel
08. liquid eyeliner 'black' - by w7

right, now back to the three old basic favourites, all of which as so cheap!

firstly, my blusher. i always return to this barry m favourite after trying out mac blushers or benefit blush pots for a while. the vibrant colour and length it lasts on my face simply can't be beaten!

secondly my absolute make up must have. my rimmel stay matte pressed powder. i hate my face bing shiny. so this is perfect for touch ups and reviving my face if the majority of my make up has come off after a long day! my powder is my life, i am totally loyal to this product. at just under £4, i can't complain.

finally.. this is the liquid eyeliner i use. yes it can be bought from poundland, tj hughes and peacocks - and yes, it costs about £1. everytime i notice it in a cheapy shop i buy it in bulk, because i never know when i'll find it again. actually, i just thought.. maybe it's online! and i've FOUND IT HERE! be right back... just buying 20million of them. honestly, the liquid stays on all day, is totally jet black and the felt brush tip makes it so easy to apply.

so yeah, theres some main aspects of my make up kit. sorry for the hefty post. hope this helped if any of you were looking for a specific make up must have. love soph

belmondo purse

2011-10-24T19:04:00.001+01:00

the lovely people of shopalike sent me a beautiful beautiful purse for doing that little review post, which you can read here! the purse is by the german brand belmondo, and i absolutely adore it. i'm not sure on the exact price of this exact purse, but other belmondo, real leather purses like this one retail between £40-£60.

i needed a new purse, my old paul's boutique purse.. bought a few years ago from oxford street topshop has suddenly become insanely chavvy to me. sorry, but i'm really not a paul's boutique fan anymore, but thats just my opinion. it also didn't have enough card space or room for me.

i'd originally bought a plain black real leather purse from topshop, but once i got the opportunity to recieve this purse it was a no brainer.

i adore the feel of the insanely soft brown leather, and the silver stud detail is right up my street, it has plenty of card space and lots of compartments and extra pocket space. the coin purse section is detachable for even more versatility. i can tell i'm going to use this until i wear it out, it's perfect.

so thank you again shopalike for giving me this beautiful gift!

we found love

2011-10-20T21:40:00.000+01:00

“it’s like screaming and no one can hear. you almost feel ashamed that someone could be that important that without them you feel like nothing. no one will ever understand how much it hurts. you feel hopeless like nothing can save you. then when it’s over and it’s gone, you almost wish that you could have that bad stuff back so that you can have the good.”

i need a whole post dedicated to this freaking amazing video. i've always had a thing for ninties styling, it's one of my favourite eras for fashion. so from the styling by mel ottenberg, to the way the video was edited, and the obviously amazing direction from melina matsoukas - i look at this video like artwork, and absolutely cant get enough.

i cannot absolutely wait for talk that talk it's going to be unreal.

whirlwind weekend at home

2011-10-20T02:51:00.000+01:00

okay, so i'm back down south now. still without my beloved photoshop so i'm slowly dying, as is my blog. here's a few quick webcam pictures i snapped in my bedroom at home whilst i visit my friends and family this weekend just gone.

i wore my trusty topshop faux leather jacket, a new polka-dot, jersey, midi dress from primark and a gunmetal, spiked necklace from therapy at house of fraser and my river island chelsea boots. oh, and my burgundy lipstick is rimmel in 'starry-eyed' from this post.

so, it was lovely catching up with my girls up north, i had a pretty hectic weekend, read more about it by clikcing below...

i was on the megabus home for eight hours on friday (a company i do not recommend) and just as i got home, i went back out for a well earned night out, durham style, it such a funny night.

on the saturday i went shopping with mam, dad and dominic to the metro centre and had a kfc for lunch. then saturday night consisted of a surprise baby shower for one of my best friends, who's expecting a baby boy in november.

finally, sunday i got up bright and early to do a photography job for a business in my hometown, had a meal at nando's with my girls, then met up with some more friends to go and see rihanna and calvin harris on the sunday night! what an amazing weekend!

so yeah, i have so much more to blog about. hopefully i'll get kirsty to help me get some good pictures tomorrow. love you all x

urban outfitters lookbook

2011-10-19T10:00:00.000+01:00

i absolutely love how urban outfitters (cant find the name of the stylist, help me?) has put their latest lookbook together! the layering, knitwear and clunky shoes, everything's perfect!

i love the fur collars, hoods and trims. it inspired me to stitch my topshop fur stole too a new coat i bought recently, which i shall photograph and post about later this week.

stop, and wait a sec.

2011-10-13T15:16:00.003+01:00

jumper: h&m, lips: 17 lipliner in 'valentine'

helloooo, i realised i havent really done any little short personal posts in a while, so now i'm going too do just a quick update.

so, i've been down in epsom, surrey for just over a month now. i feel settled in and my course is okay, im sure the more i learn and the more people i meet it will just get better and better - hopefully! i'm due to get the bus back home tomorrow for a whirlwind weekend back up north. my friends from home are ready and waiting to take me on a night out on friday, then there's some special events taking place on saturday and sunday too - including going to see rihanna at metro radio arena!

the picture above is a new favourite of mine, partially because you can't see the majority of my face, and partly because of my new hair colour. to be honest, the colours pretty similar to my natural. but it's a shade lighter and looks much more 'ash' toned, instead of being gingery. it's the first permanent dye i've ever had on my head, but i'm glad i did it! the dye i used was actually called blonde!

so over the weekend i may not be able to post much, obviously. but once i come back i'll try my hardest to blog about a recent trip to camden, a shopping spree in oxford street and some of my latest uni work etc.

see you all soon! i'm now off to my student union to see a band called fiN who've apparently supported the kooks and mona (who i absolutely love ever since kings of leon - read my blog post here) - love soph x

p.s - my photoshop trial (for my new mac) has ran out! i had full photoshop on my old pc and i kind of depend on it for my blog pictures. so, making nice posts which i'm happy with is proving difficult with other lame editing software. if anyone has any serial codes for trials or anything please let me know! i'm desperate.

shop a like

2011-10-12T14:34:00.001+01:00

i thought i'd do a little blog post about the personal online shopping site shopalike.co.uk.

they recently contacted me and asked me to have a look, and to be honest i'd never been on the site before. however after i had a quick browse - i soon became obsessed. it's so easy to use and insanely easy to search for things.. and you can find pretty much anything your after. you've basically got everything in one place! amazing.

they are paired with an unbelieveable variety of shops and stores, for example urban outfitters, very.co.uk, office, new look, motel rocks, miss selfridge, misguided and so many more! they currently stock shoes, clothing, kid's clothing, bags, watches, furniture, jewellery and sports, and they are going to add a new beauty category in the next few weeks.

i was pretty amazed at how many items they have, 3.7 million.. so pretty much anything i searched came up. shopalike is now embedded in my favourites bar for, well - forever. it's too handy not to use!

i personally found the searching facilities really really good, they found so many items i was browsing or wondering about and lots of lovely alternatives too. i also really like the range in products, from high end prices to really good bargains too!

another good thing i love about the site is how it's kind of linked to ebay :) obviously primark doesn't have a website, but by typing 'primark' into the search bar.. shopalike brings up everything from primark which sold individually by ebay sellers, another thing i found extremely useful!

shopalike also have a lovely blog (which i'm now following) and a facebook page, so feel free to check them out too.

photographer: jonathan hallam

2011-10-09T13:05:00.000+01:00

the other day i had a lecture at university taken by photographer jonathan hallam. to be honest, i hadn't heard of him really... but when i saw his work, i knew i recognised that from a variety of places. he was such a quirky, crazy and eccentric character.. really funny too. he had the whole lecture room laughing with some stories he told about himself, his life and well, just funny little things he said.

i found the whole lecture fascinating and i really love his outlook on the fashion industry and his story of how he got to where he was. he sent out some strong messages about individuality and being yourself within the industry, which i thought was really positive and very influential. his work reminds me of juergen teller's, using similar direct flashes of light for a vintage effect.

you will probably recognise this shoot of his mostly, it's from topshop's 'dress up' collection. i remember seeing the images plastered over the walls of the shop last year... and really loving the grimey, rough location. it contrasted with the highly embellished party dresses.

one thing that amazed me was that he shot these images, like he does all of his work, on film. i find it amazing that a huge high street brand like topshop didn't want to see the images immediately from a digital SLR camera, and they allowed jonathan to take the negatives away and develop them properly.

another thing i loved was that none of the images are retouched at all. he truly believes that "retouching is sick" and wasn't afraid to voice his opinions about the effects of retouch and airbrushing on society. i truly admired that. he never retouches his work, "the girls are beautiful why would i want to retouch?.. imperfections are beautiful and i'm attracted to that."

jonathan hallam, originally from yorkshire, started out as a hairdresser and then became assistant for renowned hair stylist eugine souleiman. who has created looks for everyone from givenchy to gucci, viktor + rolf to prada, you name it. so jonathan soon picked up the inside knowledge of the fashion industry.

he did an exhibition of experimental hair dressing for dazed + confused, in which he said "i pretty much destroyed their hair, kind of like anti-hairdressing" - alexander mcqueen himself attended the show. he also toured with the chemical brothers working on the lighting and projections of the show. he told us that he realised he wanted to become a photographer on his first fashion shoot where he was styling the hair, and never looked back.

finally, my perfect chelsea boots.

2011-10-09T11:11:00.000+01:00

i finally found my perfect pair of chelsea boots everyone, so happy! after months and months of searching.. i found these beauties from river island, but they're here on the asos website too. they are so comfortable, the heel isn't too small or too big. they pretty much go with everything and they were only £40. still a bit pricey.. but the bertie julietta boots i originally wanted were a bit further out of budget at £115, so i think i did well.

boots: river island/asos, socks: topshop, leggings: topshop

p.s. i also recently bought these snake print leggings from topshop. i'm a little obsessed with all things snake print at the minute too. i need to control myself. spent soooo much of my student loan! eeek.

jumble sale

2011-10-07T16:10:00.000+01:00

there was a little jumble sale in the church across the road last week. i got these theree things for £1.00, yes just 100 little pennies! i officially love jumble sales. i picked up these gorgeous deep raspberry real cord trousers, by american apparel which are a perfect fit. so tempted to cut them into shorts but i think i'll leave them for the winter. i'm picking up a lot of nice trousers and leggings for the colder weather.. love it.

each item in this post cost me about 33p. i cant quite believe it hahahah.

i also got this huge crisp white mens shirt by van heusen, which my dad and some friends have told me you can get from their shop for about £50, so that was also a good find. i'm tempted to cut out the shoulders for this kind of look... what do you think?

finally i grabbed these little navy shorts with gold detailing. they are also a perfect fit and will fit right at home with my extensive collection of shorts and cut offs. there are some in topshop veryyyyy similar too!

can't wait to find more jumble sales!

mini haul and a bit of news!

2011-10-06T13:43:00.003+01:00

sorry, but how bloody beautiful is this bag?! you can get it here from new look, for like £13. which i think is so good. it looks so much more expensive than it is and it has a cross body strap too. i'm still loving the burgundy, so when i spotted this snake skin trimmed beauty i ran to the till with it. i love the detail of the clasp too.

i also bought a few things from h&m. these bottle green jeans/jeggings hybrids and this unbelievably comfortable breton stripe jumper. after london fashion week when i snapped this girl's gorgeous outfit, green jeans because top of my wishlist. so when i spotted these from h&m last week for under a tenner i couldnt resist them either.

finally i got a lot of new bits and bobs, pictured below. firstly.. i got some lipcote - from superdrug - after attending a lecture at uni by teresa havvas (who is also involved with puma, volt magazine aswell as lipcote). so, i decided to buy a bottle of the lipstick sealer for myself - since my lipstick never stays on!

it truly works, when you first apply it over your lipstick it feels a little uncomfortable and stingy, but it really locks the lipstick in and it doesn't smudge or wear off easily.

so i also got, the cutest make up wipes from sainsbury's, the cheapest but nicest eyelashes ever from savers, nivea moisturiser, eyelash curlers and a barry m blusher since my lovely mac one has ran out. no more new mac for me, student lifestyle now! however, i do love this blusher.

finally my two mascaras, the chanel one isn't as new.. i was given it for my birthday from my best friend but i save it for best haha. i bought a new everyday mascara which is SO GOOD. volume million lashes by l'oreal is definitely one worth recommending.

p.s - the little bit of news! I'VE BEEN OFFERED A JOB. after having the interview yesterday.. i got the phone call from house of fraser this morning offering my the perfect hours i could have asked for, and a pretty decent wage too. really happy now :)

shake it out

2011-10-03T11:00:00.000+01:00

VIEW ON POLYVORE

here's my latest wishlist. if i could finally own these seven items, i'd be so happy. i've wanted variations of them for ages, for example the perfect black fur coat, skyscraper leather boots and snake print shirt. and finally, i've found these versions of EXACTLY what i want, and they are just beautiful!

i might save my money this week and splurge my loan next week. definitely on the studded bag.

i have so many more purchases to show you, from a recent h&m splurge to a jumble sale haul and my perfect pair of everyday black ankle boots have also been purchased from river island! so once i get pictures of them all, they'll be some posts to look out for!

stylespiration 07

2011-09-30T09:03:00.000+01:00

images from tumblr, basic-appeal, pancake mix, this post and happy-because.

chunky cardigans, fox tails, scuffed black boots, silver rings, socks and sandals, collar tips, bottle greens, sheer chiffon, subtle florals, lace and turn ups.

LFW: favourites

2011-09-27T02:28:00.001+01:00

JOHN ROCHA

FELDER FELDER

ASHISH

SASS & BIDE

HOUSE OF HOLLAND

JULIEN MACDONALD

POST 4/4
finally, some of my favs from london fashion week. i much prefer neutral colour palletes and blacks to bold harsh neon colour. where were your favourite shows/pieces?

my little space

2011-09-26T20:04:00.002+01:00

lovely jessica of bambina asked me in my last post to take a few quick pictures of my new university room! so, since i was looking for a way to procrastinate, i jumped for my camera quick! so i've just taken these for you! so above is my little desk area, next to my tiny wardrobe! i love clutter can you tell?

above and below is my very... erm crammed wardrobe. im not used to so little wardrobe space and i'm gutted i had to leave so much at home! i might invest in a clothes rail to just have out standing in my room, trouble is finding where to actually put it!

below is the other side of my room, more clothes.. coats this time and my full length mirror on the back of my door. just underneath the photos on the wall is a small pile of vogues, my parents are sending my collection down in the post 3 issues at a time.. hopefully when they begin to pile up high enough i can stand my lamp on it and have a bedside table made of magazines!

hopefully i'll find a lot more frames to fill this little bit of wall with pictures. i've hunted most of these frames out in charity shops and jumble sales in the last two weeks in epsom, oh! there's my little key hook too.

finally here's my window sill and little storage unit at the bottom of my bed. i had all my necklaces hung up on hooks under my shelves at home, so i had to buy little key hooks form wickes to recreate it.. there's nothing worse than tangled necklaces!

so yep, there's my room for you! haha x

jaquard

2011-09-26T18:12:00.002+01:00

jacket: topshop, top: charity shop, levi shorts: market, lace shorts: ebay, bag: miss selfridge.

i apologise for the shockingly bad photographs in this outfit post today, i just want to show you my new shirt. i'm not really happy with the pictures, but i couldn't be bothered to get out my slr, so webcam it is. i got the top from a charity shop in the middle of epsom for about £3? i love the colour and the damask, jaquard-y pattern on it.

here's a close up of the back of my levi's i now have two pairs of black levi's. i bought these last week as a pair of levi jeans, then i cut them up into shorts in about 3 minutes. my other pair were bought for my birthday by my friend, i've almost lost enough weight to fit into them now wahooo hahaha - i'm determined because they're so nice and they're the stonewashed back denim which i love. these ones are for in the mean time.

the nails are just your average glue on falsies, but pre-painted in this lovely metallic burgundy colour. my nails are terrible at the minute so these was a fast and easy disguise, which i bought from savers for about a pound!

p.s - just looked at this post again, and i'm currently loling at some of the crazy angles and poses here, just trying to show off the clothes!! ahahah

p.p.s - currently reading and learning lots about fashion from PURDYMAID (worth a read)

metallic heels

2011-09-24T13:24:00.000+01:00

i'm absolutely in love with these two new topshop boots, named absinthe and audio. especally the first pair. i saw them the other day whilst in topshop. i was so tempted to get them.. my student loan went in on that exact day!what do you think? the angular platform the metallic heels, they are just perfect. i couldn't resist sharing them with you all!

so tempted to splash eighty pounds on these beauties.

raspberry crush

2011-09-23T21:09:00.000+01:00

totally obsessed with burgundy, raspberry and deep reds lately. and if you've read through a few of my latest wishlist posts.. you'll know how much i've pined after these berry red topshop jeans! finally good topshop in strand had a pair in longer leg lenth that fit me! wahooo.

me and the girls went a little topshop crazy and bought a few things each....
these shoes are another item i've wanted for so long!!!! after missing out on those zara beauties i'm so glad topshop brought this reasonably priced pair out. only thing is, they're a little on the snug side but the next size up was enormous! anyone know if they give a bit? if any of you have them?

rimmel lasting finish lipstick from left - right: 128 starry-eyed, 170 alarm and 014 sweetie.
these rimmel lipsticks are currently on 3 for 2 in boots, they're lovely so i suggest you all go grab the offer while it's there. me and lauren clubbed together and bought these burgundy, bright red and bold pink shades.

finally, bought this cuteeee little burgundy (surprise!!) leopard print travel card holder. perfect for my train tickets and railcards, also topshop.

LFW 03: STREET STYLE

2011-09-21T02:42:00.002+01:00

i snapped model tilda lindstam (img models) leaving the john rocha show.. in the most amazing outfit ever.

POST 3/4
i took this picture of an off duty john rocha model heading out of somerset house as she stopped for a few photographers, i'm sorry but this has to be the most beautiful off duty model outfit i've ever seen. that jacket... oh my god i need to make one or something. perfect.

i also took a few street style pictures, this girl, i didn't get her name - had the perfect shirt/jumper/jeans combo going on. i need bottle green jeans in my life now, that's a definite!

lauren and i started chatting to jessica from sparksandfireworks and i snapped a few pictures of her! the topshop body chain combined with the galaxy print worked amazingly well, i love the use of accessories too. she was lovely!

here's a few photographs i took whilst me and lauren sat people watching and outfit watching for ages, and we actually had so much fun! i was fascinated with all the beautiful and diverse footwear that sometimes stumbled across the cobbled floor in front of us, so i just had to take a million pictures! warning: photobomb ahead...

skyscraper black heels, alicepoint, chelsea boots, burgundy, velvets, chiffon, mixing brown + black leather, statement bags, dalmation print, dr. martens, bottle green, leopard print accessories, matte finish leggings, floaty blouses, collar tips + bed hair.

LFW 02: EXHIBITION

2011-09-21T01:36:00.000+01:00

POST 2/4
the LFW exhibition - after getting my pass, i couldn't wait to go see it. so here's a load of pictures for you to see it too! it consisted of lots of little rooms within somerset house with tables, rails and stands full of designer pieces.

i absolutely loved how this jewellery by hannah warner was displayed, the skulls and raw bones contrasted with the metals of the jewellery so well, and totally complemented the perfectly moulded skull pendants. i was blown away.

i was chatting to the lovely lady who stocks the jewellery line among other exclusive jewellery designers at orit in london. she let me try on a few of the pieces and i wanted them all! especially the hinged armour rings, and a bird skull ring with green sapphires for eyes!

then came the press lounge where there was a fully dedicated blog bar, refreshments, toni and guy salon and much more. to be honest, i felt a little in over my head when i walked into the press lounge bit... i'm only a blogger! but i thoroughly enjoyed it.

LONDON FASHION WEEK 01

2011-09-20T22:10:00.003+01:00

POST 1/4
i'm breaking up the LFW blog post into four because i have so many pictures to upload! next up is the exhibition, you needed the pass to get in so i took pictures for people who didn't have one. then i'll finish with pictures of the 'streetstyle' i snapped there, there was some uber stylish people there! obviously... it's fashion week!

so on saturday, me and my some friends went to london fashion week, in somerset house. it was such an experience and i loved every minute, kinda hated feeling like a fat ugly dumpling in amongst all the tall, slim, flawless fashionable people of LFW but i'm over it already ahaha! we walked around, people watched and tried to get into some shows, even though we had no invites for them.

i decided to try to apply for an exhibition pass at the bloggers desk, wild stab in the dark - it worked! the girl at the registry desk was so lovely, and she complimented my blog too, beyond chuffed!

even though a lot of people outside couldn't get into the shows they were played live on the huge screen outside so i got a perfect view at exactly the same time, as the people crammed into the back corner of the show inside! so i didn't mind too much.

here's a quick outfit post.. i'm looking very uncool, but nevermind. blazer: h&m (kirsty's), top: topshop, jeans: new look, shoes: topshop, bag: mulberry.

p.s - i spotted abbey lee kershaw leaving her john rocha show! she looked amazing, so ethereal and so so tall. her coat was to die for.

freja beha erichsen for h&m

2011-09-18T23:58:00.003+01:00

i think it may be just because i adore freja, but i just love these images. i want her hair so badly! effortless chic, clean lines, sixties shapes, monochrome, gold accents, jewel colours, leather, seventies hair, the perfect black boots. however i dislike how catalogue the last two images feel, but i still love new silhouettes at h&m.

huge post coming up next, so be prepared!

a blog to follow 04

2011-09-18T01:03:00.000+01:00

blogger number 4 is definitely going to be kirsty, a new blogger stationed at http://purdymaid.blogspot.com/. this beautiful girl, talented writer and university flatmate of mine has just set up a blog with the most unique and personal name!

kirsty is studying fashion journalism at UCA, her blog is a way to practice her writing skills and widen her fashion knowledge for her course. she's only had her blog a week but the posts are amazing. nobody knows everything there is to know about fashion but why not follow a lovely lady determined and eloquently finding out and posting as much as she can!

kirsty's blog is one to watch, mark my words... http://purdymaid.blogspot.com/

p.s - she's brunette now, the first image is an older photo - dont get confused! haha

j'adore dior

2011-09-16T20:48:00.001+01:00

sorry, just been completely blown away by this beautiful picture, and had to blog it.
karlie kloss at dior backstage in paris. photographs by gabrielle revere.

words by life. for the dior show, "it was layers and layers of face paint, body paint, glitter, black eyeliner, fake eyelashes, teasing," photographer revere recalls. "i've never seen this before, but they actually glued these little strings to the sides of her eyes and pulled her eyes back with these strings and hid them in her hair."through the pain of it all, however, kloss kept it professional: "rather than screaming, ow! it was a very delicate, 'can you pull it a little less tight?'

the full look that closed the dior show, revere says, "was like rock star meets 1920's cinema queen meets 5-year-old little girl running around in the forest, rolling around in glitter - it was just fantasy. and that moment when she's looking in the mirror, it's like she looked through me. she became somebody else. i remember so vividly because she was the last in line to go and she was towering above me -- you know, she's got on the heels and the dress and the hat and the hair -- and she seemed like she was as tall as the highest star up there."

freshers!

2011-09-15T01:44:00.000+01:00

okay! so i'm officially an enrolled university student at UCA Epsom, University for the Creative Arts. i study fashion promotion & imaging. so, without further ado...meet my lovely flatmates. from left to right there's me, kirsty, lauren and lucy - i couldnt be in a better appartment!

we've been so busy! here's a few pictures from the freshers t shirt party! yeyyyyyy.

i'll post again soon, with pictures of my new hometown, flat and bedroom! hope you're all well.

i wore my henry holland leather shorts, new look leopard belt and lace cycle shorts from ebay.

frantic packing

2011-09-09T13:03:00.000+01:00

today's post is a little manic! due to the fact i've moving out of my house tomorrow and embarking on a five hour drive to epsom to move into my university room and start student life! so, i'm frantically packing shoes, bags, crockery, clothes, toiletries, jewellery, towels, pots, pans, sketchbooks, art supplies and everything else but the kitchen sink - into one car! this is never gonna work.

the landing is covered in boxes and bedding, as you can see! i've gone for a cream/white vintage kinda feel for my room, hoepfully the layout will accomodate my things. i havent even seen what my room will look like! it's all very crazy.

only thing is, i have no idea how i can transfer my hugeeeee magazine collection/archive of vogues, elles, harpers etc. i really want them but there so bulky and heavy!

so.. i may not post over the weekend, i'm sure it'll be a busy and very nerve-wracking one. wish me luck, never been more scared! totally diving into the unknown....

a blog to follow 03

2011-09-07T23:50:00.005+01:00

okay so, number three on my list of 'blogs to follow' is erika. who runs the blogs http://handfuloffashion.blogspot.com and http://poisonedcandyfloss.tumblr.com - to be honest, i don't understand how most of you wouldn't be following her already.

for a sixteen year old she has impeccable style and somehow finds some amazinggggg vintage pieces from her attic, aswell as charity shops. i love her relaxed, grungey and ethnic ensembles sourced from places as far as japan and thailand, which she also blogs through lengthy photo diarys of her trips - i love the culture it adds to her blog.

however, it is quite aggravating that, no matter how much of a silly face she pulls in her photos, she never fails to look anything less than perfect (example here)! how annoying?! hahaha

p.s - i'm so jealous of her oxblood dr martens!!!

ice cream sundae's

2011-09-06T16:34:00.001+01:00

today bethany and her very pink car took me to lickety split in seaham - it's a gorgeous little ice cream parlour. she chose a strawberry blonde sundae, and i chose a chantilly glace. it was beyond beautiful!

it was lovely having a last little farewell treat with beth. she's staying up north for uni and i couldn't be moving further away! i'll miss her, she's been an amazing friend for at least the last ten years, and i've known her since i was three! this is one of the only downsides to leaving the north, my gorgeous friends.

chantilly glace - white chocolate & clotted cream ice cream, white maltesers, topped with fresh dairy cream, white kroccant (hard chocolate) & chopped nuts.
strawberry blonde - strawberry & clotted cream ice cream, fresh strawberries, meringue, topped with fresh dairy cream.