Tuesday 29 May 2012

Tuesday Tabs #19

I haven't been very good at blogging recently and it makes me a bit sad because I like doing it so much, most other things have been nice though so I can't complain.

Catch Your Eye Mini Wall Clock, $44.99, Modcloth
This is such a cute wall-clock, I don't even mind that it's a bit of a novelty item, it would look so nice in our hallway.



I just really love Keane and I don't care who knows it, this is my favourite track from their new album, it makes me so pleased that it's summer. I currently have Keane and King Charles on repeat, which is unusual for me but both albums are so great.



Heart Mesh Flippy Dress, £48, Topshop
I usually avoid Topshop in an attempt to avoid disappointment, but this dress is too adorable. It would be awesome for a date but the price tag is a bit much for what is (come on, Topshop!) though I'd certainly be pleased to own it.



I sure hope this movie is as good as it looks, it's been a while since I've seen a new film like this and I love Steve Carrell when he's serious.



Horse=print dip-hem blouse, £28, Dorothy Perkins



Backless Shirt Dress, £39, Oh My Love for Topshop
I seriously need to have a sort-through of my wardrobe, I'm sure I have some pretty summer dresses in there somewhere, I have to, just to stop myself from picking up cute little numbers like this. It would be so great for a day like today.



ASOS VIXON Flatform Creepers, £35, ASOS
I've been waiting forever for a pair of more affordable creepers, although I'm not dying about the colour of these I may bear them in mind, even if they are a bit more Autumn/Winter. Thank you, ASOS.



You Bring Light to the World Ceramic Tile, Rob Ryan
I have a new favourite Rob Ryan tile. ♥

Link Love:
  • Hanging Basket Garden DIY — Moon and I have just put out our tomatos out and planted a load of other tasty vegetables and a strawberry plant, fingers crossed it all goes according to plan. I love this tutorial for hanging baskets, they would look nice in our tiny garden. I wish this place was ours so we could do up the garden properly.
  • Charlie's apartment from HBO's 'Girls' — Girls is my current favourite programme, it's perfect, I can't even properly express how much I enjoy everything about it. The LA times have done a beautiful feature talking about Charlie's apartment, which was featured in the show a couple of weeks ago. I was at thinking to myself how great it was so I'm pleased that they've featured some more detailed images, the bed is so neat!
  • Jubilee Novelties from HelloYou Creatives — I'd love a temporary tattoo of the Queen.

  • There are far too many clothes this week, clearly I'm trying to tell myself something, but I think I'm wrong. Short and sweet this week, I think, I'm promising myself to give this a bit of a boost in the coming weeks.

    Monday 28 May 2012

    May Glossybox

    Things have been plodding along in the last few days, nothing that exciting has happened though. We had Long and Chris over for Eurovision, and it was nice to see them, but Moon was ill, and still is, so it may or may not have put a slight dampener on the occasion. I was in full-on support of the Jedwards, judge me if you will, I didn't think the UK would do that badly but I didn't have the highest hopes as the song was just dull, I cannot fathom how Sweden won though.

    I've been able to enjoy a bit of sun this weekend which has been nice, perhaps powering through and getting paid would have been a wiser decision but it's been so quiet.

    Anyway, lets get down to this, as April's Glossybox was such a latecomer for me and I wanted to give it a thorough test, it really doesn't seem like it was time for another Glossybox just yet but the year is passing by so fast, so I guess I'm wrong.


    Overall, I'm once again impressed with this month's box, I think I've only had one box so far that I was a bit unhappy with and that wasn't down to lack of quality products, but mainly due to the fact I was too young for most of them. To celebrate their first birthday, the lovely ladies at Glossybox also included a pink balloon and compact mirror, which was a lovely touch, although if I'd won a golden ticket that would have been cool too.




    Summer Rising Bath & Shower Gel, Noble Isle
    Just as I was running out of last month's Sandalwood shower gel, I can always count on Glossybox. This shower gel is beautiful, the scent matches it's name exactly, it just feels so summery. It even includes antioxidants from gooseberries, which surprised me due to the orange colour, it's always nice to have a little luxury with this kind of product. I'm also very pleased with it's travel-size as it will come in very useful when Moon and I finally decide where we're taking our summer holiday - any suggestions welcome, all we know we want is a beach and a bit of culture.



    L'Eau en Blanc & Si Lolita, Lolita Lempicka - Full size: £63-65
    These were probably my least favourites out of the box, although I'm glad we're back to easy applicators, unlike last month's horrid Kai sample. The white sample (L'Eau en Blanc) reminded me a bit of my Gran and would probably be a nice fragrance for her, but it's far too floral for me. I did slightly prefer the Si Lolita sample, but it's still not something I would choose if I was sampling it to buy. I'm sure I can use them both up as it gives my Touch of Pink a bit of a rest.



    Smoothing Night Care Face Cream in Wildrose, Weleda - Full size: From £10.95
    I'm really not a fan of rose scented things at all, I don't know why, I'm just not, however, due to the success of last month's face product, I figured that it couldn't do any harm trying this out. Despite the smell, which isn't as rosey as it could have been (which is a positive in my book), it applies easily and is very light-weight which is nice, especially for an overnight product. I don't think I'll rush out and buy the full-size product, mainly because it's a bit pricey for me, but sometimes it's nice to make a few small changes.



    All-in-One Hair Treatment, Uniqone - Full size: £13.99
    My hair is naturally really dry, which I think is thanks to dying it so much when I was a bit younger (so, thanks, Past Me), so for the last couple of years I've always used a heat-treatment on it, not just because of the dryness, but also because of it's style and length, I can't really get away with not blowdrying it, unless I want to look like this. I usually use Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave-in Conditioner mainly because it smells amazing but also because it's really light-weight and doesn't make my hair greasy. I haven't had a good hair day since starting my new job, so I thought I'd treat myself with this, and I must say that today, my hair is looking pretty good, I do have a few criticisms though. Despite being a spray application like the Aussie product I usually use, this product comes out quite thick, which is weird, although it's fine with a brush-through the Aussie product usually just needs me to run my fingers through. My second criticism is that although generally my hair is fine today, straight after blow-drying it did feel quite weighed down, as though there was loads of product in it, God knows what happened to it because like I said, I'm fine now, but I didn't particularly like that. It's nice for a treat and there's no question that it works, but I'm not sure yet if I could get away with using it every other day and given the price tag in comparison to the size of my usual I don't think I'd be willing to get the full-size version.



    Temptress, Let's Go Lashes - £8.95
    Like Charlotte, I'm unsure as to who the idea of these lashes being 100% human hair is meant to appeal to because I see it as a bit odd. I don't use fake eyelashes often, but I do occasionally so I am willing to give these a go. I kind of like the fakeness of fake eyelashes though and personally don't think these are even half as nice as a set of synthetic ones I already have. Also, what kind of hair is it, are there people donating their eyelashes? Vom.

    I hope that I haven't come across as too negative, because I genuinely am really happy with this month's box, it's varied and has allowed me to make a few small, even if short-lived, changes to my current routine and it's nice to mix things up every now and then. Happy Birthday, Glossybox, keep up the amazing work!

    Here is what Dolly thought of Glossybox's balloon, I'm fairly certain it's the first time she would have seen one, sadly I missed the moment when she sat on it and popped it but she was certainly intrigued.


    Friday 25 May 2012

    Green.

    Here are a few snaps from my walk home along the canal the other day. As you can probably see from my outfit, although warm, it was a lot cooler than it has been in the last couple of days. It's quite nice that it's so warm at the moment though, it means even when I'm at work all day, there's still some daylight to enjoy when I come home, that may be different when I finish at 10pm tonight, but that's neither here nor there.

    Jacket: New Look
    Cardigan: Primark
    T-shirt: Tee & Cake for Topshop
    Belt: New Look
    Skirt: Primark
    Shoes: Converse (Amazon)
    I wish this skirt was just a tiny bit shorter, I suppose the length does give the illusion of height, but I'm not liking having to wear it so high up on my body. I got this as I'd seen a similar one for just a couple of pounds more in New Look, but the New Look one didn't look like it was made out of as comfy material, Primark is getting expensive nowadays though.

    I just love that everything is so bright and vibrant again, I mean I love the colours that Autumn brings but Winter and Spring this time around seemed to merge together making for the kind of weather that makes you want to hide under a blanket and eat soup. Summer is good, I feel like it's when I feel most productive and full of energy. Yesterday, after work, I made a start on our garden and potted up some vegetables, quite unlike my usual, tired self.

    I've never seen so many swans as I have since moving to Newbury. I don't know whether it's because they still have a few young ones hovering around or whether it's just because they're so big, but there seem to be loads.






    Touch of nostalgia.











    I should really start taking my camera and a couple of lenses out again, for a while I was doing it all the time but then I just stopped and sometimes I don't even have my phone to have a camera on me. I feel like this is something I need to fix in my life.

    Sorry I've been so quiet recently, but it's taking me a bit of time to get into a proper rhythm.

    Tuesday 22 May 2012

    Tuesday Tabs #18

    Only a couple of hours before I have to leave for work, and the whole flat needs a clean, it's doable, I'm just so hungry right now. Everything is going quite well at the moment, I'm feeling like I'm settling into things, although I made a silly mistake regarding my other job yesterday which will hopefully easily fixed come Friday.

    Some news regarding Little Cat, she is officially completely better following her adventure and she's not pregnant! She was but now isn't, something I am pleased about. I would jump at the chance to look after newborn kittens, but it's just not the right time and she's still a baby, I think it's much safer to wait a few more months before making that kind of decision, plus she's not going out again for a very long time.

    I've not been up to much in terms of online activity as most of last week consisted of working, complaining about how much my feet hurt and then going to bed before doing the same thing again. I don't mind, it's just is a bit of a shame that I can't indulge this kind of activity as much. This is just one of two real downsides to this job so far, the other being that I'm not allowed to paint my nails; normally I would just paint them in between but because of the scheduling it's not really worth it, but it still makes me sad.

    Yellow Kite Print Day Dress, £36, H! by Henry Holland for Debenhams
    This was recently featured as part of Project 10, but I must say I didn't take as much notice of it as I did when I spotted it in-store yesterday. I think this photo doesn't nearly do it justice and it's much nicer in real life, it also differs quite a lot from other Henry Holland designs and just seems more whimsical than usual, it would be great for a summer walk.



    A fun and silly animation, the end made me crack up, so I had to share ♥


    Yet another Rob Ryan item that I'd love to have in my home. I spotted them on a one of his recent blog posts and I don't think they're even available in his shop yet. I have a feeling that they'll be a bit pricey but I don't see Rob Ryan as ever really being unaffordable so I hope to snap them up.



    This is very good, I'm a bit sad that I was working and not able to catch the full show. Will Smith is very high on my list of favourite people.



    iPhone 4 Case, £11.01, On Your Case
    I'm not that bothered about iPhones, but this is such a pretty case. I can't wait to pack in my Blackberry for something more trendy.



    Puppy-Kitty-Love Tote, £11.67, Leah Goren



    From the series, 'Typography Jokes' by Gary Nicholson

    Link Love:
  • Lovely Lists from Goodnight Little Spoon — As a listmaker myself, I love this list of different lists.
  • 9 Lives by Twenty-Seven Names — So many pretty prints and cuts from New Zealand-based company Twenty-Seven Names blogged about on Style Paws. It's not the only nice collection they have but this one includes cats so it's an obvious choice.
  • A Thrifty Mrs' eBay Amnesty — Another great list including some of A Thrifty Mrs' favourite eBay stops for all sorts of different requirements.

  • A bit shorter than usual but I kind of like it. Now it's time for some lunch, and to sort out the flat, just under an hour and a half to go, I'd better get it together.

    Friday 18 May 2012

    Innocent Eating.


    A sleepy but much better little cat ♥

    I have been meaning to post this for around a week now. I haven't got around to it because other things, like work and losing the cat, have got in the way. Now that I'm feeling slightly more stable, it's time to get back to things like this rather than lounging around.

    So anyway, I've seriously been connecting with my inner domestic goddess lately and I've been pretty, damn cracking at it too. I've made some amazing food recently, apart from the fish cakes I made a couple of nights ago, won't be trusting that one again, thanks a lot, Sainsbury's. I'll be honest and say that I've had a lot of help from Innocent's latest cook book, 'Hungry?', it's actually one of the first cookery books in ages that I've seen to have uncomplicated, easy-to-follow recipes, as well as having the neat quirks that come with other Innocent products, adding an edge to the book against other cook book. It even includes pieces on 'How to Make Popcorn Last a Whole Movie', something we might put to work as some kind of drinking game, being the post-students that we are. It is a family cook books, so a lot of it is about how to feed your kids healthily, obviously Moon and I don't have kids, but it's still been fun to take recipes and pick up things in the supermarket that we might not usually buy.




    We have improvised a bit, but I think that it's for the better. Unfortunately neither of us will ever be fans of butternut squash and Innocent love it. We've just swapped it for sweet potato though, which Moon regards as superior to the run-of-the-mill potato (which is simply not true), and although that may mean that it's not identical, we haven't come into a problem yet as, and (I could be seriously wrong), the texture is still fairly consistent.

    Something I'm most proud of and can't wait to make again is Innocent's chicken, bacon and leek pie, we had to put off our American Pie:Reunion cinema date due to cooking it last minute and it being something that takes a while, but if you're not in a hurry, it's perfect, and if you are in a hurry, it's leftovers are just the trick.






    Chicken, bacon & leek pie.



    Perfect nomz. ♥

    I don't intend for this to be a review at all, I'm mainly just showing some appreciation for food, and how easy the recipes in this book are. I don't think it's just for families either, because yeah, it's pro-healthy eating but everything is affordable so I think it would be great for students too, particularly if they're away from home and have never cooked for themselves before.

    Bananas and honey on toast.



    Home-made tortilla chips.
    Amazingly simple, just cut up some flour tortilla wraps of your choice, drizzle with olive oil and pop in the oven for 10-15 minutes.



    We had ours with chilli and sour cream to make them more of a meal rather than a movie snack.



    Not technically any kind of cooking but so delicious, and the first of it's kind that I've seen in an English supermarket. Our local Sainsbury's is a goldmine for the unusual, and as it should be really, being the size of a small aircraft hangar.



    Has anyone else noticed the lovely re-branding of Tesco's Value range? It's so pretty and cheap, so two of my favourite things. I'm a sucker for nice packaging, and I think this was definitely a step in the right direction for them.



    Eggs in reverse order of size.




    Raspberry sponge cake with raspberry jam filling and lemon butter cream.



    Passion fruit cheat's crème brûlée.
    A Sainsbury's offering which I think needs another go. The recipe called for making caramel in a saucepan and drizzling on top, which made for weird eating as the caramel hardened on top instantly. The custard part was nice though, so I think next time we'll just sprinkle sugar on top and put under the grill as per standard crème brûlée.

    Have you done any fun cooking recently?
    It's quite nice to have things back to normal again, as well as have a job, even if it's not the job.

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