039: some changes!

IF YOU CAN'T LOVE YOURSELF…

i only feel like i can actually write about this having lost a few pounds recently. whilst i'm a huge supporter of carrie's wonderful body image post, i can only dream of being this confident about how i look. i'm tired of looking in the mirror and wondering how i'd look if there wasn't as much thigh present or, how much more comfortable i'd be if i wasn't so conscious of how my nose looked. i'm not going to list every imperfection i see because you've probably got something else to do besides read this! however, i will just say i've been taking part in exercising and eating better and i'm starting to see some positive changes that might just start my road to a more positive body image… who knows?! but in the words of the amazing rupaul "if you can't love yourself how the hell are you gonna to love somebody else?".

MY LITTLE SANCTUARY

i'm always making changes throughout my room as i'm desperate for a place of my own to get decorating. however, for now my little sanctuary will simply have to do! finally a home sense has opened in cheltenham and on my first trip i bought the two crates above that i just adore. mooey also loves taking trips to home sense because he gets to ride in the trolleys!

THE EARLY GRANDMA IN ME

i've really enjoyed embracing the early grandma in me and have starting cross stitching a lot more. whilst i'm stuck on recreating a pattern for the submarine soundtrack track list, there is something highly addictive about those little crosses. be careful of cross stitch abuse, it's a thing.

OUT OF MY DEPTH

finally after dropping out of university last year i've begun again! so far it's been considerably more enjoyable than last year and i'm genuinely excited to see what the course has in store. i've begun marketing, advertising and branding which i feel out of my depth in but in a really good way that i have so much to learn and expand on.

I'VE BEEN EXPLORING

and lastly i've been exploring a lot more clothing wise! whilst i probably shouldn't because i'm in the process of loosing weight and having to but lots on depop (username: lfmason). but hey it's been really fun! this afternoon i'm off to topshop having spotted some gorgeous pieces that will probably end up in a post as soon as possible.

038: i'm moo!

WOOF OR NEVER

i'm moo a 10 weeks (and 2 days) old baby boy pomeranian! people call me my full name, moomin, when i'm naughty and baby moo when i'm being cute. my mummy tells me i get my name from the tove jansson comics and even though i don't look like a moomin i like it. i moved to my new forever home on sunday 3rd august after squeezing my way through the baby gate to chew on lily's favourite shoes, it was love at first sight  nibble. i like long naps in small spaces but, i don't like having to wear a collar with a bell on and i still don't understand why the cats don't like me *hmph*. anyway, i'm looking forward to sharing lots more of my moomin stories on miaou or never, even if mummy won't change it to woof or never.

so yes i've introduced yet after blogging distraction to my life and i cannot believe it's a puppy! my parents spent their holiday sending me photographs of puppies and saying they were considering looking into getting one. with three cats this has always been something they've never taken seriously and they can't understand why they've changed their minds - but i'm not complaining. we found moomin and his five other siblings on pets4homes and immediately emailed to arrange a viewing. whilst we had planned to meet our potential pup taking home moo that day was a complete impromptu surprise and we weren't very prepared - it's safe to say on the trip home we visited every pet store! besides the odd set back in his potty training moo is a complete dream. we've already got so much love for him and i certainly can't wait to see how he grows!

037: meet prickle and spike!

✿ förtjust tealight holder: £2.25 ikea here 

✿ cactus: £1.50 wilko  

✿ bright pop fabric covered box: £6 cath kidston (sale)

PRICKLE AND SPIKE MY TWO NEW DESK FRIENDS

i'd like to introduce you all to prickle and spike my two new desk friends. i'm a huge succulent lover and i'm dying to get my hands on some terrariums. however, having just killed one of my baby cactus i don't think i can trust myself just yet with too many! prickle and spike are the perfect new additions to my desk side. they keep me company whilst i spend far too much time dedicated to my new found hobby, cross stitching, and perusing amazon and ebay.

036: le disque d'or de sidney bechet record

✿ crosley cruiser briefcase style vinyl turntable: £66.38 amazon here 

✿ le disque d'or de sidney bechet vinyl: €3.99 discogs here

THE CRÈME DE LA CRÈME OF MY VINYL COLLECTION

after searching high and low to find this record i can finally welcome you to the crème de la crème of my vinyl collection, mr sidney bechet. after seeing midnight in paris and falling in love with the opening scene i've always related sidney's 'si tu vois ma mère' with some awesome memories be it in paris or england, it's always been able to cheer me right up. so there was no wonder when i opened it and set the needle on it for the first time that i welled up a bit... sad but unfortunately very true, we've all got 'that' one song well this is certainly mine!

035: bumble and bumble favourites

✿ bb thickening spray: £21.50 boots here 

✿ bb quenching masque £30 boots here

✿ bb prêt-a-powder: £21.50 boots here 

admittedly i've kind of fallen in love with bumble and bumble, having been introduced to b&b by kate, i'm a little bit addicted. recently i had a little splurge whilst at the b&b counter in boots and i've loved all the products i bought. the only bumble and bumble product i've used and did not like initially was the surf spray however, after having my hair cut i found it worked a lot better on shorter hair.

bb thickening dry spun finish spray
i had my heart set on the oribe texturising spray however, i definitely couldn't justify £39. so after trying to look for a high street alternative and eventually giving up i opted for the bb version and i'm definitely not disappointed. it's awesome for creating 'that' undone look quickly.

bb quenching masque
i probably should just have a hair cut (since it's been a while!) rather than using this but it works so well at conditioning the ends. ideally i'd prefer to apply this to dry hair as i hate having to find something to do for ten minutes in the shower to let it work.

bb prêt-a-powder
after using the tresemmé volume powder and finding it effective but leaving my hair with so much residue i explored the market to find something else that did the job. this powder is so fine you don't have to worry about white roots or any sticky residue and since it's got such a fine constancy i have a feeling it'll last a long time.

034: 180 piccadilly

MY TRIP TO #180PICCADILLY

so this is another post that will start with something along the lines 'it's been a little while but...' and i know it has been a little while but, i've finally got time to post my trip to 180 piccadilly. the lovely jazmine invited me to come along to cath kidston's safari launch and it was so much fun looking around the flagship store. if you have a little scroll through the photographs you'll eventually bump into one of myself (that amber took!) wearing my favourite grove roses dress from cath kidston that i just adore!
i met up with the gorgeous rhi of vintage style me after a very long time of not seeing each other due to me moving back home! it was only a brief trip but i'm not complaining, it felt so good to be back in london after months and months and especially in such good company.

033: my new phone case

✿ custom deco den case £12:  daisy's decoden add her on kik (igexx) to order

I'M COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH IT...

it's been a little while since i last posted so i think i'm going to do a post about what i'm up to when i'm not blogging. however, during my absence i received this beautiful iphone case that you might have seen on my instagram. i'm completely in love with it and everyone points out how adorable it is. if you check out daisy's instagram it has all of her other adorable creations.  

032: finding tea cup homes for my baby cacti!

TEA CUP HOMES

whilst at university i wanted some little plants to keep be company in my room. however, it's safe to say that my memory is like a sieve and i forgot to water the first plants i had - oops! so i ended up with these three little cacti from sainsburys when my mum came to visit one day. it wasn't until i was moving out and precariously placed one on top of several over items that it fell off and the pot broke. once home i found an old tea cup and placed the one without a little home into it. after that i spent a little while trying to find tea cup homes for the others and here they are! they've turned out to be the perfect cheap, effortless and cheerful way of completely my dressing table!

031: my favourites from rosie for autograph

✿ satin revere pyjamas: £35 here 

✿ silk teddy in antique rose: £34 here

✿ printed silk chiffon teddy £34 here 

✿ silk embroidered kimono wrap £125 here

I'VE BECOME VERY WARY OF WEARING MY XXL JACK DANIELS T SHIRT

i was sent the press release about the rosie for autograph collaboration a little while ago and since i'm not the biggest fan of endless press releases i barely looked at it. however, having seen carrie wearing a piece in her endless euphoria post i decided to delve a little deeper in the marks and spencer website. i have to say i was so surprised to see just how beautiful and romantic everything was they just made me want to spend all day in bed lounging about.
ever since getting into a relationship i've become very wary of wearing my xxl jack daniels t shirt to bed and have started taking a little (emphasis on the little) more caution to wear more socially acceptable pyjamas. a couple of pieces of loungewear like these adorable bunny pyjama bottoms and this night shirt  have managed to nuzzle there way into my pyjama draw but there is definitely room for silk don't you think?

030: new additions to my skincare routine

✿ nude perfect cleansing oil face and eyes: £28 space.nk here 

✿ effaclar duo +: £15.50 boots here

✿ cane + austin acne treatment pads: £48 space.nk here 

recently my skin has been super sensitive and temperamental so i went into space.nk and had a little look around. i'm not too keen on space.nk because i've never really admired their customer service however, this trip was very different! a really lovely lady approached me and asked if i wanted any help, i replied yes and explained my skin situation. i told her about the topical solutions and creams i was prescribed by the doctors and how i think it's left my skin quite erratic. 

nude perfect cleansing oil face and eyes
she immediately recommended nude and their cleansing oil. at first i was skeptical because of that fact its an oil and my skin isn't good with oily products. however, i've been using it for almost a week and it's so delicate. previously i was using the oh so blogger cliché that is liz earle cleanse and polish which i used to get on with so well however, it's just gotten too heavy for my skin and seriously broken me out. anyway, i can't stress how beautiful the cleansing oil is and if you get the chance to try it out then do!

effaclar duo+
is a product that was recommended to me by the lovely alex from cath kidston and ever since i've seen it everywhere. i have to say it's worked really effectively after just a handful of uses and i'm really looking forward to using it more.

cane + austin acne treatment pads
these are another product i was recommended by the lady at space.nk and something else i've found effective as an on the spot treatment. since these pads are so expensive i've been cutting them into quarters to make them last for a long time!

029: a bootea review

HOWEVER, IT'S SAFE TO SAY IT WAS QUITE THE WASTE OF MONEY

when the gorgeous lucy from fine and bambi posted a picture on her instagram of some bootea i had a little read about it and bought some. however, it's safe to say it was quite the waste of money. i've finished my two week course and i have to say i don't feel any different -if anything i'm eating more because it suppressed my appetite. i thought it would be wrong to think that just simply drinking tea would make you slimmer so i knew i had to make an effort to change my lifestyle. i paired it with healthy low calorie meals and exercised considerably more than normal however, i can't say the tea made me feel particularly detoxed.

disadvantages:

• the tea does claim an awful lot (all of which you can read here!) however, out of the ten claims i think i experienced one. i also asked lucy how she was finding it and she found it was exactly the same. 
• i'm beginning to think either it doesn't really work or it's something you have to drink for months and months but, i'm not really in the position to be spending £20 on tea! 
• i read that the actual tea bags were made to stop the tea leaves passing through however, there was still a lot of sediment at the bottom of the cup.

advantages: 

• unfortunately, there aren't many but i have to say it has made me want to try out different herbal teas. 
• having had a break on from the tea i do believe that it suppressed my appetite as i feel as though i have been eating a lot these passed couple of days. so i think i'm going to purchase this dr stuarts tea i hope it'll do the same thing. 

overall summary: price: 0/5 packaging: 5/5 was it effective?: no would i buy it again?: no! 

028: my favourite style tip

KEEP IT SIMPLE OR SOME WHAT SASSY

my favourite style tip is always keep it simple or some what sassy, either or. i'm a huge believer in keeping outfits quite minimal and practical. i'm not talking rucksack, climbing boots, raincoat, i'm talking along the lines of these secrets to french style. i'm one of those girls who dreams of hoping on the back of a moped in paris wearing a breton t shirt and classic trench coat. so, even in my dreams, it wouldn't be practical for me to be dripping in jewellery or awkwardly fitting clothing! having subconsciously been following these secrets to french style for quite a while now, la redoute have reassured me that coco chanel, jean paul gaultier and yves saint-laurent agree that simple and classic is acceptable! and i'm allowed to be comfortable and moped hopping ready!

027: welcome to my new shelves

✿ lego cloud cuckoo palace: £17.99 lego store here 

✿  laduree savoury cookbook: £18.76 amazon here

I'M A DEDICATED WHITE FURNITURE FAN

as i have said previously (here!) my room required a reshuffle before i bought my imac and whilst watching one of lily's videos i noticed her ikea shelves and decided i could do with something similar. i went for these ikea hemnes shelves after much deliberation and i'm so over the moon with them. i love all ikea furniture and there isn't one piece in my bedroom that isn't from the hemnes collection -i'm a dedicated white furniture fan. after spending quite a while on the ikea website i created a new pinterest board for all my first home inspiration, which then led to my wedding inspiration board… oops?! 

✿ skurar bowl: £7 pink and green here or red and white here

✿ large sweet jar: £2.49 home bargains similar here 

✿ small sweet jar: £1 home bargains similar here
✿ hemnes shelving unit: £80 ikea here  

✿ förtjust tea light holder: £2.25 ikea here and here 

✿ förtjust candle holder: £2 ikea here and here

✿ records: 50p-£30 amazon, rise music   

✿ typewriter: £20 charity shop 

✿ cardboard octopus: alex's mum