Working Girl - Intern shopping spree.

I have been off uni since early June que me embracing slob life after working hard for exams however I always love the idea of a stress free summer then end up getting really really bored. So luckily I have the opportunity to intern for a few weeks at a magazine publishing company which is rather exciting. However since being at uni my wardrobe has started to consist of mainly casual clothes and I cannot rock up in crop tops/ stupidly short denim levi's etc. I'm a working woman now I need to get my smart on. Having said this I interned there last summer for 3 month and at their sister company the summer before and the dress code is pretty laid back for an office but still I feel it's probably for the best that my chest and arse remained covered at all times. After numerous trips to Milton Keynes I found NOTHING que a slight breakdown and a genuine moment considering whether I could just rock up to work in my birthday suit (JOKING I would get arrested). So my mum and I hopped in the car and off we drove to Birmingham and boy did it not disappoint.

 

First off is this skater skirt from Oasis of all places, genuinely don't think I've bought anything from there possibly ever. But I walked past and this pleather skater skirt caught my eye and I had to have a nose as I missed out on the H and M one from a few months ago. I tried it on and bam it was perfect, honestly the most flattering skirt in the world and is a nice length so won't be exposing myself when I bend over which is always a win. Worn with studded collar shirts, slouchy tees or floral blouses I can tell this skirt is going to be my go to piece all winter not just for work.

Next up is All Saints. If you have read my Oh Gatsby post you may recognise this bad boy. I have lusted after All Saints sequinned skirts for as long as I can remember so just had to pick one up as it was so discounted. It looks equally good with slouchy tees in black or neutral tones as well as knitwear, tights and boots. 

I also found this blouse for £32 quid down from around £60. I love the details; the frills, the buttons, the neckline. I just could't help myself as I haven't seen anything like it before.  However I do feel I look a bit like a beautician in it but hey.

Next up I hit Urban Outfitters. I am also cursed when it comes to denim jackets I.loose.them.every.year so had to pick up a new one after loosing my third one in three years. I bought it over sized so it looks sort of 80's, my boyfriend says it looks like something Kelly would have worn in Saved by the Bell which is I personally think is a good thing.

 

I've been loving neons for a while so when I found this neon yellow Cheap Monday t-shirt I decided I needed in my life. I love the shape of it, it drapes beautifully and it looks A-mazing with my Oasis skirt.

My obsession with The Kooples has been a long one and with a 50% sale I couldnt not pick up a few bits. This stag print shirt with neck tie I have had my eye on since it first came into store so with 50% off i new i was taking this bad boy home. 

This knit jumper looks beautiful with the All Saints skirt and I love the stone colour, it's also the most flattering shape known to man.

Toppers is my go to place every winter for a pair of boots. I chose the Ambush boots over the Allegra's last year however they are looking extremely tatty so when I saw this season Allegra's called the Alexy's I couldn't leave them!

I have been looking for a gold chunky knecklace for months and finally spotted this beauty in Selfridges in their Go Go Philip range for a very reasonable £15. Boom.

So that'a what I picket up on my shopping spree, I just needed a few key pieces that smartened up my wardrobe and overall am very satisfied with my buys. However me being me I definitely am thinking my work wardrobe won't be complete until I bag myself a camouflage jacket and an embellished gap-yah jacket and perhaps some jacquard skirt.... I think I need help.


Kathryn x

Worth the hype.

Hello, from a dull grey Milton Keynes. Apologies for my absence the weather has actually been pretty damn good (ish) so I have been spending my days at the pub with fam/friends/boyf. I have also been avoiding the shops not only to save money but because, and please don't judge me for this, I HATE SALES. They're messy and stressful and grown women resort to behaving like animals over a 8 pound dress and I.cannot.take.it. Anyway back to the point, because I haven't been shopping as much it got me thinking about products I already have and that I am forever repurchasing. For regular readers of my blog you will know that my real weakness in life is clothes. However I do absolutely obsess over skincare/make up etc but I always think cosmetics are so expensive that I can't just buy them on a whim. I very much sit and do my research on blogs and youtube before taking the plunge. As a result I often try products that get extremely hyped up on blogs/Youtube so I thought I'd let you know which I think are really worth it and will be a staple in my make-up/ skincare/ tanning routine for years to come. 

1. First off I have the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish - Hot cloth cleanser. "Original" I hear you say, well yes I am another Liz Earle sheep and judge away but it the best cleanser known to man. Ever. End of. You know the drill you put a pump on your hand and massage onto dry skin (you can use it on eyes, I tend not too as my eye make up destroys the muslin clothes). Then you rinse the muslin clothes in hot water and polish off the cleanser. Thus cleansing and gently exfoliating simultaneously. Simples. I have combination skin and it works like a dream for me.

2. Next up I have Bioderma Crealine H20. Quite simpley Bioderma shits on all other make up removers/cleaners. The king of the make up remover if you will. Slight issue is it's french so you have to buy it off ebay or travel to France to get it and even I draw the line at leaving the country for a make up remover that costs 10 Euros. However luckily my best friend studies French at Uni so is always popping over for trips so brings me back a tub or two. It removes every last scrap of make up and calms my skin down like nothing else. I introduced it to her and she has also seen the Bioderma light, she's much more acne prone than me and has said this stuff has literally changed her skin for the better.

3. Next is St Tropez Bronzing Mouse. Smells awful but looks amazing. I apply 2 coats and it goes a lovely golden colour that honestly just looks really natural with no streaks or patching. However the smell in my opinion is rank, when first applied it smells like really stong fake tan that they've tried to mask with the smell of a leather car interior (trust me sounds wierd but so true). I apply it at night and then shower it off the next morning and I kid you not the smell lingers for the next day and my boyfriend hates it. But if its a choice between him and the tan...he'll go. I JOKE. Or am I? I don't even know anymore haha. But anyway the look is unbeatable, I have tried every fake tan on the market and this for me cannot be beaten and the smell goes away after a day anyway.

4. The body scrub/exfoliator to end all body scrub/exfoliators: Soap and Glory Flake Away. A must for fake tan obsessives. If any of you are like me and are just essentially massively lazy the horror of scaly skin will not be new territory for you. Because sometimes lets be honest I cannot be arsed to exfoliate I just want to be brown. Hense I turn into a scaley mess. This is far from ideal. Enter Soap and Glory Flake Away and suddenly I'm scale free and smooth as a babies bum! *Tip* For severe cases of fake-tan-educed-scales this product combined with Exfoliating gloves will sort you right out.

5. This leads on nicely to Soap and Glory body moisturiser; The Righteous Butter. It smells beaut (not unlike Miss Dior Cherie perfume), lasts forever and is just generally brilliant. It helps prevent/rectify the afore mentioned scaly skin situation and masks the smell of St Tropez. Fake tan smelling, scaly skin ... I know what your thinking, my boyf is one lucky man. I really don't think he new what he was letting himself in for... poor Dan.

6. Make up wise I didn't want to go into too much detail because all my hyped cosmetics are featured in my Everyday Maquillage post. However I feel purely for the sheer number of times I have repurchased these items they needed to feature. They are MAC eyeshadows in Satin Taupe and Tempting. They are my ultimate eyeshadows that I will always always own. What I love so much is they look amazing on their own or with a black in the crease, et voila you have created the perfect smokey eye whther you want a taupe or a dark gold. My love for Tempting stems from Laura from Buy Now, Blog Later way back when she was Lollipop26 and she showed a Youtube video where she simply put Tempting all over the lid with MAC Carbon in the crease and blended it out. Since then this has been my go-to smokey eye. Satin Taupe is just so beautiful on its own in the day or again with a black in the crease. My mum also loves it as it has the perfect amount of shimmer as she often finds too much glitter is ageing but totally matte eyeshadows a tad boring.

7. My next product worth the hype is Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. Now this Clarins claims Beauty Flash Balms 'Brightens and Tightens' and I have always been highly sceptical. This is the ultimate 'are the effects just in my head or does this product actually work' product. I won't lie my Mum has been banging on about it for years and years so when she got a free sample she gave it to me to try. I kid you not this stuff is bloody good. I have rather dull skin this gives my skin a radiance it simply doesn't have naturally. It smells lovely, makes my foundation application smoother and appear dewey and youthful and is just an all wound winner.

8. My penultimate product is YSL Touche Eclat. As with the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm I wasn't autimatically convinced as I thought the hype surrounding it was just hot air. However I bought it for my mum for her birthday as she's always wanted to try it. So I thought I'd test it out just to try... que me stealing it forever. It is often misused as a concealer, this is not the case, it is in fact a highlighter/ eye brightener. It's creaming and moisturising and when applied correctly around the eye area your skin does truly appear brighter and you just look more awake!

9. And finally everybody's favourite the Yankee candle. I had to feature these as between my mum and I we must have practically the whole collection. What I love so much about Yankee candles is that the smells are not sickeningly sweet that leave you with a headache or feeling nauseous. They are still strong smelling and last for ages and are just the best candles ever! 

None of the products featured are groundbreaking and I most certainly won't be winning any awards for originality. But all these items have been purchased a million times before and will continue to be repurchased as I simply cannot live without them!


Kathryn x