January Favourites

Hi everyone,

I know it's a little bit early but I thought I would share with you the items that I have been loving in January! I plan to make this a monthly post if my favourites significantly change each month :-) 

The weather in England has been very miserable recently and to be honest I cannot wait for Spring to roll around! In efforts to make myself feel like it is spring time I have dug out an old favourite of mine a Topshop baby blue nail varnish in the shade 'Boy Next door.' My next favourite, a MAC eyebrow pencil that was featured in my collective haul post, has been my most reached for make-up item. As I said before I never used to do anything to my eyebrows but now I can't leave the house without it. It can come out quite strong so a very light hand is needed and I think it is great to fill in any little sparse areas. 

                           

Nail Varnish: Topshop £5.00 (Boy Next Door)

Eyebrow Pencil: Mac £13.50 (Spiked)

In this cold weather it is very easy for my skin to become dry quickly and my savour has been Nivea's In Shower Body Moisturiser. This is a really quick and easy product to use simply apply it to your body at the end of your shower, rinse, off, come out, pat your body dry and voilé, you have super soft skin! I have always loved minimalistic rings but towards the end of last year I became lazy and forgot about accessories. So I decided it was time to get back into playing with jewellery to spice up an outfit and I have started off again with one of my first purchases from Urban Outfitters.

Body Moisturiser: Nivea £3.75 (stocked in most drugstores)

Ring: Urban Outfitters (similar here)

To be honest I have felt extremely uninspired by all the clothing in the shops at the moment, I am waiting for the sales to die down so that there are new products to wish for! :-) However, with one of my new year aims being to be more active I have become particularly interested in working out clothing. Don't get me wrong I do love a good black and white outfit (which is what I used to wear to work out in) but I felt that this year I needed to add some colour to my gym gear to make it more fun! Being a student, I did not want to spend a fortune so I ventured into H&M and i have to say they have a brilliant collection full of colours, and different styles to suit what activity you are doing and body shapes. I picked up a mint green and grey sports bra which provides great support for zumba and pilates and black leggings with a fluorescent band on the inside. The leggings are great as they don't twist around the body whilst working out and it takes many wears before they start to loose their shape and you need to rewash them - the pop of colour is lovely too :-)

                          

Sports Bra: H&M £9.99 (Mint Green)

Leggings: H&M £14.99 (Black)

If you are an inspiring fashion designer (like myself) then I could not recommend the book 'British Fashion Designers' enough to you. Not only does it praise British fashion designers from the likes of Christopher Bailey to Stella McCartney but is packed with images, interviews and lots of information! My last favourite I received for christmas and to sum them up I would say they are just beautiful. These white and rose gold headphones are perfect when you want to jam out without disturbing anybody else and are of a great quality. The wire has fabric around it so it means no tangled wires - yay! 

                         

Book: British Fashion Designers by Hywel Davies £8.00

Headphones: Frends £130.00 (Layla leather and Rose Gold)

I hope that you have all had a great start to 2015 and let me know what your favourites have been this month :-) 

Lots of love

Sarah Marie x

Shoe Collection | Flats

Hi everyone,

Today I thought I would finish off the other half of my shoe collection by sharing my most-loved and worn flat shoes with you :-) Some of these shoes I do wear more than others depending on whether I am going for a more casual or dressed up daytime look. 

1. The Brown Boot

As somebody who typically wears black and white clothing on a day to day basis deciding to purchase a pair of brown boots was a brave decision. However, I have discovered that since purchasing them that I have branched out with my clothing more and got lots of use out of my long lost well loved blue jeans. They also go very well with my most worn green coat in winter, which you can see here.  

Shoes: Topshop

2. The Cut-Out Boot

I purchased these shoes around two years ago when having cut-out boots were the new and 'in' thing to have and I still love them to this day. I feel like the cut out design adds a minimalistic touch to any plain day look and the small heel gives added height (bonus!)  

Shoes: Topshop 

3. The Black and White Trainer 

These are my most recent addition to my collection and I love them. I think they are the best finishing touch when you want a casual look: throw on a pair of black skinnies, grey tee, black leather jacket and these and voilé you have a casual but cute outfit! They are so comfortable and great for when you want that 'street style.' 

Shoes: New Balance £60.00

I hope you enjoyed the other half of this post and I may do an updated shoe collection in the spring/summer time if you would like :-)

Lots of love

Sarah Marie x

Collective Haul

Hi everyone, 

Now I haven't been doing a huge amount of shopping lately, so I thought that I would share with you the items I have purchased towards the end of december and beginning of January :-)

In January I decided I wanted to take better care of my skin and give it the proper nourishment it needs. At the moment I have been having lots of late nights due to revising for upcoming exams and I feel that I am looking constantly tired. I therefore wanted an eye cream to make me look more awake and refreshed. After spending hours watching countless videos, blog posts and reviews I decided to invest in Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado - £20.

When I went to the store I was shocked at how thick the product actually was. The sales assistant let me try some on the back of my hand and the product melted in turning into a bit of an oily consistency which I thought was perfect for somebody with dry skin like me. However once purchasing the product and smoothly placing it around my eye I found that it wouldn't melt into my skin like before. The downside to this was that it was difficult to do my eye make up as the eye area felt sticky. On the other hand I have used this product at night time and found that in the morning I am left with refreshed smooth bright eyes - so I am going to use it as a night eye cream.

The next eye product (as such) I purchased was a MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Spiked - £13.50.

Before I headed into the store I made a guess at what colour I would be and was so pleased when the sales assistant told me I needed this colour! I am yet to try this product and a bit dubious as I have never done anything to my eyebrows but I may do a review on it and see how it turns out :-) 

To help get my skin refreshed I decided that I needed a new cleanser. My first thought was to purchase one with rose in as it appears that everybody talks about how good rose is for the skin. However, it turns out that me and the smell of rose do not go well together. Instead I have settled for Caudalie's Grape & Sage Instant Foaming Cleanser - £15 - which I personally believe is a very clean and refreshing scent. When you pump the product out it instantly turns into a foam which you massage into the skin and rinse off with warm water. 

                   

This set of three necklaces are from Urban Outfitters and unfortunately are no longer available as they were in the sale. The chains are a brassy/rusted gold colour with each having a small pendant at the end - a blue stone, a gold disc and a clear crystal. These were originally £14 and I picked them up for a bargain price of £2.25 :-)

This dress was originally purchased to be worn for New Year's Eve (although I didn't end up going out) but I believe will come in handy when I return to university :-)

                   

The front of the playsuit features a V-neck front of a bodice attached to a wrap around skort. On the other hand the back is backless and has straps that go from the top of the bodice to the  top of the back shorts and a tie that runs along the middle of the back to keep the top secure. This playsuit fits very well and I purchased it from the petite range (which means the length is perfect) at ASOS in the sale. The only downside to this playsuit is finding a bra that goes well with it. 

These New Balance 410 Black Trainers below were actually a present for Christmas and I am so so pleased with them. Around a year ago I had seen these shoes on Instagram but could not for the life of me find a store in the UK which sold them. Luckily, my boyfriend remembered and they are now available at ASOS :-)

I love the design and simplicity of these shoes and they are great for when you want to go for a more casual look. They did take about two wears to break into but are now very very comfortable! 

To go with my dress, I purchased a pair of black  heels from Topshop - £58.00. I am yet to wear these but so happy I purchased them as surprisingly I did not own a pair of plain black heels! 

I have written more about these shoes on my High Heel Collection blogpost here :-)

The last two items I have purchased are Wonderland and Vogue magazine. As many of you will be aware I love discovering and reading unique magazines such as Wonderland, which are simply very fun to read! I believe that these magazines are less advertisement based and have much more content in them which are fresh and exciting. The magazine offers information on both womenswear and menswear and the latest issue captures Taylor Swift on the front in a different light.

Vogue is a very classic read for me and I make sure to purchase it every month to keep up with the latest trends and get fashion and beauty inspiration. This months issue includes a 'The Catwalk edit' supplement showcasing designers recent work - which as a fashion student helps to give me a feel of designers that I would like to do work experience with in the future. 

I hope you enjoyed this haul, I am sure there will be another one  soon - I do love to shop! :-)

Lots of love,

Sarah Marie x

The Giggling Squid

Hi everyone,

As you will know from my previous posts of the restaurants in Manchester, I love finding independent and small chains of cafes and restaurants which offer a whole new world of foods that I have not yet discovered. One of my all time favourite restaurants is The Giggling Squid. 

The Hungry Squid

The Giggling Squid is a Thai restaurant which specialises in sea food. Now, if you love seafood there are many dishes the restaurant can offer you from prawn toast to salt and pepper squid to a prawn salad. However, if you are like me and do not have a love affair with seafood then there are just as many options from thai chicken curry to spring rolls to sleeping honey duck and there are many options for those of you who may be vegetarian also.

I have only ever been here for lunch but the menu comes with a variety of eating options such as 'tapas' or 'tapas sets' for when you just can't quite decide what you want or want to try a little bit of everything! Alternatively you can opt for one big dish with rice or go for a two dish meal combination. 

The staff at the restaurants I have visited (Brighton and Tunbridge Wells) have always been very friendly and are willing to accommodate you for any food preferences.  

It appears that The Giggling Squid is currently only based in the South of England - but I can only hope that they will open one up North soon for when I need to satisfy my cravings! 

Lots of love

Sarah Marie x

Shoe Collection | High Heels

Hi everyone,

Today I thought I would share with you my high heel collection. Although it is not the largest, I thought it may help some of you to find the perfect style of shoe for a particular occasion. As you will be able to see my shoes are either nude or black which I think is a great starting point for anybody beginning to buy heels as they will become very versatile in your wardrobe :-)

1. The Perfect Nude

I think every girl should own a staple pair of nude heels, they go with almost anything! They are great to wear when you want all of the attention to be drawn to your outfit and are great for shorter girls as they lengthen your legs. 

Shoes: Miss KG by Kurt Geiger 

2. The 'Strappy' Heels 

These look more interesting when worn but in a very simplistic manner. Depending on colour will determine how much the design of the shoe will stand out, for example a pair of these shoes in red would look great paired with a simple black dress to add a pop of colour. On the other hand a more neutral colour would look nice teamed with a bright or pastel dress. 

Shoes: New Look 

3. The High Heel Boot

These type of shoes are great if you want to add more of a relaxed and rock style to your look as they are chunkier in size. The cut out sides are great as they help to balance out how chunky they look on your feet and add breathability. The cleated sole adds stability so no worrying about falling over in these! I think these are perfect for day time also as the heels are not too high. They do take a little while to wear in but I think it is worth it :-) 

Shoes: Zara £29.99 

4. The Platform Shoes

The latest addition to my collection are these beautiful platform shoes with a skinny ankle strap. I think these look more sleek on the feet compared to the Zara shoes above as they fit more closely to the foot and have an open back. The heel is thick which will add stability and the open toe will reveal your latest pedicure. The only downside to these shoes are that there may not be enough holes to secure the strap around your ankle if you have smaller ankles so you will need to add a hole in yourself. 

Shoes: Topshop £58.00 

I hope you all liked this mid-week post and I will be posting about my everyday shoe collection in the near future. 

Lots of love

Sarah Marie x

Two Thousand and Fifteen

Happy new year everyone,

As 2015 is now upon us it means there are lots of new possibilities, adventures and experiences coming our way. It is a time for fresh starts and new goals, to help us aid us along our fresh slate of a year. So, I thought I would share a few of my 2015 goals with you :-)

(Favourite photo of 2014)

One

One of my key goals for 2015 is to be more giving and charitable. Whether that be through putting some money in a pot, donating a sum of money each month to a different charity (which I will be doing) or helping those close in need, every little helps. 

Two

Visit beautiful places nearby. It is easy to get carried away with where somebody else is in the world (i.e. on Instagram) and forget that there are places just as pretty and breathtaking near you and I am going to start cherishing that. 

Three

I am going to start giving my body the proper care it needs through a healthier diet, drinking lots more water and working out at least two or three times a week. It is important to remember that it is better to make these changes slowly, or this goal may take longer and become more difficult.  

Four

Since I was a little girl I have always been fascinated by the world of fashion. I remember the first time I entered a 'grown-up' store and being amazed by all of the countless options. My goal is to volunteer at London Fashion Week in September in order to gain a further understanding of the fashion industry and I know I will just love it. 

Five

Become more focused on my blog. I am going to blog at least once a week (every thursday), take better quality photographs and transform my blog into a place which truly reflects me.

This post is a little different for me, but I have lots of ideas for upcoming posts which I cannot wait to share :-) 

Lots of love 

Sarah Marie x