tale as old as time

How's it going? Had a good week? Blue Monday was actually a crappy day, which I found annoyingly smarmy. I'm seeing Beauty & the Beast in 3D later- SO EXCITED! I'm actually really happy to be back at Uni so it's not really a pick-me-up but hopefully it'll fill me to the brim with happiness?

An email arrived in my inbox this week telling me about John Frieda's hair tutorials on YouTube... I took a look and was actually very impressed at how easy and successful they were! I decided to wear one out last night and got lots of compliments, the following video is the one I used



and here are the results

The morning after hair was pretty good too and easy to restyle :)

el dorado

How was Christmas for you then? I think I may have finally conquered jet lag, after a week and a bit! I'm wasn't even on American time which is the crazy thing; sleeping from 6pm till 2am, like a milkman (noon till 8pm US time)

I got a nice selection of presents this year, did you get what you wanted/needed?

I also braved the shops yesterday to exchange an item and picked up a couple of nice things in the sale- HELLO KITTY LIBERTY 1/2 priced goods from Boots :D and a £10 parker from H&M

The benefits that the closest shops to the beach town I live in being a chavvy shopping centre= the nicer items are ignored by people who opt for Peter Andre perfume or x factor CDs :)

Have you been near the sales?

I built my dreams around you

Christmas kinda came in a flash this year! I've decided that next year I'm going to spend it away from family, because although I love my kin, it's such a stressful time and I don't feel I appreciate them. I'm going to book a trip to New York or Austria :D

While Christmas day is over, there's still 2 weeks left of seasonal parties and gluttonous lifestyle (the first week of January never counts in terms of enforcing new years resolutions) and Asda has a great range of party dresses available.

In Facebook times it's difficult coming up with enough outfits for every occasion, knowing pictures are likely to end up online but Asda have a good selection at affordable prices. I think a lot of their items are also transferable in terms of seasons as fabrics and patterns aren't particularly exclusive to one time of the year- something in the past I've found a problem; having tons of summery dresses but zero winter ones.

I got sent this one shoulder dress, which is unlike a lot of dresses I own but I really liked. I went for a 70s vibe outfit and worked it with my clogs and a satchel. I'm undecided about wearing it with the belt or not, what do ya think?

Check out George for more items :)

Dusty

Why it has been a long time! I still exist haha

I can't believe how busy life has been since touching down in America all the way back in August. But it's 3am and I can't sleep so I've decided to blog :)

A most amazing thing about being in the Deep South is that it's mid-November and I'm still wearing summer clothes! I have finally got to wear all my cotton dresses. I bought this one below from the Debenhams sale before I left England and I wore it to the Homecoming Parade.

Can I just remark on how amazing British style is? Seriously, English people rock so much in dress sense! The generic outfit here is baggy T Shirt (usually provided from an event they attended), baseball cap, gym shorts. I get looked up and down for some of the clothes I wear (always overdressed haha) but I've learned to accept the funny looks and not conform to looking like I'm about to work out.

Menswear

Jac5 is a new menswear website. While not many bloggers are male, some of you might be looking for Christmas presents for boyfriends, guyfriends, BFFs etc.

But I actually also enjoy wearing oversized mens T-shirts myself! There's some fun and classic designs in the collection online.

It maybe from watching Grease over and over, but I do love a plain black T-shirt on a guy. This one is $25.00.

Find more items of a variety of styles at http://www.jac5.com

A toast to that

Wow, there's dust all over this place isn't there? I've been so utterly busy with the move and starting school that it's been neglected! America is really impacting my time, vocabulary and diet, it's rather awful haha!

Well it's been three weeks and I've been to a couple of frat parties, drunk from red cups (at one party, I had 4 red cups of alcoholic cool aid, bad idea- I was so drunk when I got home I couldn't even change into my PJs!) I've started classes too which are SO different from British ones... seriously! I've got another blog documenting my adventures in case you're interested in anything else.

I also got these very cute 'French Toast' socks from Forever 21... 95 cents! 95 CENTS! :o

We got a little paranoid earlier because 'Storm Lee' is approaching and ran to get food from the gas station. We got drenched to the bone and by looks of things...the rain has stopped! Silly over-dramatic weather reports paha. Other than today it has been 30'C+ and hasn't rained; I am getting full wear from my summer wardrobe- something Britain did not provide me with!

doormouse

Everything's getting a bit crazy at the moment-
 I'm leaving for America on Tuesday! Packing a year of clothes in one suitcase has actually not been too tricky as I've been pretty ruthless with items and as I'm in the south I can opt for warmer clothes..But I've been rotared into work so much these past couple of weeks. While I appreciate the extra money, I kinda need the time at the moment. I don't want to be recovering from jet lag and a row of tough shifts.

Being a waitress has somehow made me lose a lot of weight! Considering I'm eating a lot of the time (if you dine at a posh restaurant and leave half the food on your plate it will end in a waiters tummy, I was grossed out by it at first but eventually everyone does it paha) and heckloads of carbs, it's quite random but clothes have got looser and everything a bit firmer! What sucks though is the main area I appear to have lost the weight is my boobs and my feet! In fact I've dropped a SHOE SIZE! How rubbish and weird is that?! Chubby feet? haha

 Speaking of feet I am a rather proud owner of a pair of Swedish Hasbeens! I got them second hand on ebay for £60 (half the RRP!) and despite being worn once before they appear as new, so happy!

They need breaking in and are still a bit tough.. I'm not sure whether to take them to the USA though? Will clogs look odd in Mississippi? Will everyone think I'm just a European exchange student in native/traditional dress? Thoughts please :) xx

pretty and witty and bright

Today is a hard earned day off... although as it's two weeks until I board the plane for a year in America (!) I haven't been able to go full slouch and have had plenty to do- buy a new suitcase, ring bank, look into return flights... and I still haven't found anything to spend my Topshop voucher on (crazy, right?)

One of the things that can easily fall apart when you get really busy is a beauty regiment, and unfortunately hair and skin really show the effects of diet, stress and lack of sleep. Like a lot of bloggers I am a complete beauty product junkie and I thought I'd share with you the products I really think are amazing and do provide results.

Over the years and basically since I began earning money at 16, I've tried many, many different creams and lotions. Generally, high end stuff usually works best but these items don't cost the world.

Freederm Lotion
Now, strictly speaking, I don't use this as instructed. Rather than rub in/wash off, I apply post-cleanse as a toner and massage into my skin. As it's lightweight and creamy it all gets absorbed without any residue and my face is notably clearer within a fortnight.

Dr Nick Lowe Purifying Foaming Cleanser. Available from Boots
I've suffered from bad skin a lot and out of everything I've used (basically every brand and prescribed medicated cream) this really has worked best. I love the results and would recommend it to anyone whose had trouble with their complexion. The downside is that it appears to be only available at Boots and only at bigger stores. It usually retails between £10-£20 but there are frequently deals or vouchers to offer it at a reduced price :)

Charles Worthington 'Results' hair healers
I haven't had a hair cut in a year- I may occasionally give the ends a slight trim myself but it's remained in good condition, noticeably improved when I've used a leave in conditioner etc.
My own little advice is to massage conditioner or a hair mask into dry hair 15 minutes before you take a shower/bath; that way it gets absorbed and remains undiluted by the water that it does post-shampoo.

Sudocrem
It maybe known as Nappy Rash Cream but it's good at calming skin for anything; sore feet from a night out, post-waxed skin, legs after shaving. It's rather cheap and very practical.




This last product is one I picked up recently and really enjoy using but I haven't had it long enough to see the non-instant results.

Boots Coconut Body Oil
It's solid in the jar but when you massage it into skin it melts and absorbs instantly. It smells rather amazing and leaves skin glistening in a pop star manner.

 Do you have any beauty products you swear by?

What would you recommend?

Going back on my word from my last post (trying to save a bit more money ahead!) I've listed a lotta clothes on my EBAY, there's some really nice things there and everything is in top condition!