September Wedding Style

I know September's nearly over but I thought I'd post this anyway - September weddings are becoming more and more popular and most of the time, September doesn't greet us with the same glorious weather that the summer months do. 
My cousin got married last weekend and the weather was amazing so I didn't get to wear the original September-ish outfit I had planned (it didn't turn out great anyway). So this was my back up outfit, it's summery but I changed it slightly by adding black accessories instead of white or cream ones. 
I apologise for the fact that I don't have a full length picture - there wasn't really much time to stand about and get pictures on my own because weddings are so packed full of things to do, people to see, food to eat, etc. But my parents were able to get a few shots of me outside the church, and they like closeup photos, which I do not.

Also, my hair was not at it's finest that day! We had to travel to get to the wedding and stay overnight and yes, I forgot my straighteners. I just had to take a deep breath and deal with it.
I absolutely love the colour of this dress - it's perfect in every season because of the shade of blue that it is and it's just so lovely and wedding appropriate.
My dress is from Asos Petite and unfortunately, it's sold out now because I bought it in February! There are lots of similar style dresses from Asos Petitie though.
Shoes - Office (similar here)
Bag - New look (similar here)
Hope you enjoyed this, this look is also perfect for Spring weddings too! You can never go wrong with pastels.
CJ x

Topshop Magic Liner

I confess! I am quite possibly the worst person with liquid liner that you have ever met. I can't even apply it, let alone apply it neatly, so I basically steered clear for the stuff. But recently, I got the free Push-Up Liner with Benefit's They're Real Mascara and I was quite impressed with how easy I found it to apply so I decided to test out the different types of liner out there.
As you saw on my previous post, it was the Student Lock In in the Trafford Centre so whilst I was buying some gorgeous cigarette pants, I was taken in by Topshop's beauty ranger (as per) and decided to pick up the magic liner.
As soon as I tried it, I just had to tweet about it and tell the world how amazing it is! So if you haven't tried it, it's basically like a felt tip pen and it's extremely easy to apply! It comes out so black instantly, unlike previous pen liners that I've tried (ie the one by Maxfactor where you have to continuously draw on the back of your hand before it decides to come out black instead of grey), and it just glides on. The nib is so tiny that you can really get the precision you need to do your winged eyeliner. 
Overall, I would definitely recommend this for those who aren't blessed with the gifts of patience and steady hands! It's now part of my daily makeup routine too! At £6.50 you really can't argue, because the quality is amazing. Hope this helped.
Link to the liner here
CJ x

Student Lock In - The Trafford Centre

Everybody knows it's that time of year (season) again ....... STUDENT SALE TIMEEEEEE. I spend all semester saving on to the last scraps of money knowing that all the student sale events will occur a week or two before my student loan comes in. I have been to one of these before and this was at the Arndale in Manchester, it was one of the best shopping experiences I've ever had in my life, so I thought I'd review it on my blog this time.
So, the concept of these is, that if you are signed up to emails from the shopping centre hosting them (or at student lock in online) you will be notified of the event near you. They say you have to register but most of the time you just need a valid student card. And a massive list of shops participate in the sales. Most of the shops do a special 20% off for students offer and some, like Vans (absolute fave) host games such as beer pong to win further bonuses!
The pros of this kind of event are obviously the money that you are saving, the atmosphere of everyone buzzing around you from excitement at all of these offers and just how special it makes you to feel to be a student. Let's be honest, the student lifestyle isn't the most glamourus and privileged so once you are even acknowledged - it's great!
However, there are cons to these types of events - not every shop participates with discounts, it is EXTREMELY busy and uncomfortable, stock becomes unavailable quickly and the customer service in shops suffers terribly. The only shop where I was truly satisfied with the service was Kurt Geiger (I may go into more detail about shop service in another blog), the girl that served me was so lovely and helpful and it made a nice change from the evils I'd been getting from the rest of the shop assistants.

I took full advantage of these special prices and picked up just a few items. The first of which are this year's AW boots, they are part of last year's collection from Kurt Geiger but I think they are still in style, so comfortable and I'm sure I'll get a lot of use out of them. I wish I could've walked out of Kurt Geiger with more than one pair of shoes (I especially have my eye on those Miss KG ones which go with Benefit's They're Real mascara - they're just so beautiful), but I'm thankful I got my Autumn/Winter Boots at a discounted price.
I also headed into Topshop and bought the dogtooth cigarette pants as seen on my friend April in a previous blog because I couldn't resist, as well as the Magic Liner to try out.
Only one purchase from The Body Shop, which had 30% off I might add, and that was the Tea Tree Night Serum because I was so impressed with the tester I'd been given.
I also bought my favourite Yankee Candle (Candy Corn) and I picked up a T-Shirt for my boyfriend from Vans.
Overall, I'd say that you should go to the event if it's near you, because this is something that you don't want to miss and I can't wait for the next one!
CJ x

The 1975 Outfit Post

I went to see the 1975 this weekend in Manchester with my friends from university and it was amazing! We used our o2 priority to get quick entry and the priority bar, so the lack of lines were a definite plus!
It was the first night that the 1975 were playing in Manchester (which is also their home town) so it felt really special. They are one of my favourite bands and so much fun to watch live, the atmosphere was fantastic even if they were a little late on stage!
So all of our outfits were very last minute as we thought it'd be warmer than it turned out to be! We were all planning on skirts, shorts and dresses and clearly that didn't happen.
Me:

Bralet: Topshop
Jeans: Topshop Joni jeans
Boots: Topshop (so much Topshop - sorry!)
Cardigan: Missguided
Lipstick: MAC Rebel

April:
Top: Topshop
Trousers: Topshop
Boots: New Look

Why I love Autumn

Happy Autumn Guys! So it's not officially Autumn until September 21st but let's just pretend that it's Autumn already. Although, this is probably the least Autumnul weather I have ever seen in September. This is my absolute favourite time of year and I thought I'd tell you why!

1. The Weather

- Early Autumn is generally the time for slightly colder, dry weather with overcast clouds and crunchy leaves! It's not so cold to wear coats, hats, scarves etc. but it's definitely layer weather! Which brings me on to the next point ...

2. The clothes

- I LOVE the Fall fashion - there's nothing better than tights, boots, cardigans, leather, scarves, hats, jumpers and all the wonderful layering essentials! The colours are also AMAZING in Autumn - burgandy, navy and khaki all make an appearance in my wardrobe at this time of year.

3. The makeup

- To expand on my last point, makeup also develops during these months. It is way more acceptable to wear dark lipstick in autumn than any other time of year (even more so than Winter in my opinion). Also, metallic or dark eye makeup is also acceptable on a day-to-day basis, as is dark, metallic or glittery nails! Futhermore, fellow pale people need not be afraid of the outside world from September onwards.

4. New School Year

 - This applies to everyone 22 and under, but a new year = a new you. At 19 I still feel like I start fresh on September 1st, you're faced with so many new opportunities, and studies suggest that people who start the gym in September are more likely to stay than those who start in January. I say New Year's Resolutions should be made and kept in September instead!

5. The food

- Now is the time that my all-time favourite drink returns - yes, you guessed it, it's the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks! Apple pie, stew, casserole, toffee apples and treacle toffee also make frequent appearances in my kitchen.

6. The smells 

- A bit of an expansion on food, the smells in Autumn are to die for! Even the smell of outside is better (plus there's no more hay fever - yay!) Once you get past the crop season, which is particularly bad if you, like me, live next to a field. My favourite Yankee Candles are autumn ones too - Candy Corn, Berrilicious, November Rain, Fireside Treats

7. The TV!
- Oh. My. God. I literally become such a house bunny in Autumn because the TV is so damn good! Absolutely all of my favourite shows return in August, September or October (barring Game of Thrones - boo!). But America's Next Top Model comes on, next thing you know Dr Who is back on Saturday nights! Then it's September and The Biggest Loser, Grey's Anatomy, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory AND Criminal Minds sneak back onto our screens! Aaaaaah I'm in heaven.

8. Halloween and Bonfire Night

- It saddens me that not everybody celebrates Bonfire Night as it is such a massive tradition here in the UK! Apart from my asthma kicking off the day after, I love Bonfire Night for the food, fireworks, bonfires, sparklers and socialness! And need I mention Halloween? Probably my favourite holiday despite not being the biggest fan of scary films, but once again I love the food associated with this - and of course, the costumes!

9. IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

Yes, it is in fact my birthday right near Halloween, so what's not to love about a birthday, THEN trick or treating, THEN bonfire night, and then it's pretty much Christmas after that so we all know I'm a winner in the birthday department (if only we had Thanksgiving here too!)

On the other hand ...

If there's one thing that makes me DESPISE this time of year, it's cocky little spiders who think it's all right to make themselves at home IN MY BEDROOM just because the weather has got colder. Also, they are getting more and more outgoing - i actually caught one running up and down my bed the other day! Cheeky bastard.
CJ x



(Images are from google.com, topshop, starbucks and Yankee Candle)

Skincare Routine

I used to be someone who just took their makeup off with a wipe, washed their face with whichever cleaner I fancied buying that month and be done with it. But, as this year has gone on, I've branched out and really begun to love skincare products! (mainly thanks to the Body Shop). I am getting older now, and I'm definitely noticing that some products and brands work better than others, so I thought I'd talk about my new skincare routine!

Every Morning

• Simple Kind to Skin Makeup Wipes - the first thing I do every morning is use a makeup wipe to make sure I've got rid of any excess makeup that I may have missed the night before (usually a bit of mascara - damn you benefit!)
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Foaming Cleanser - I cannot recommend this stuff enough! I have combination skin and I don't find this drying at all. My skin cleared up so much after using this stuff for about a week, and it feels foamy and incredible
• The Body Shop Seaweed Exfoliator - my skin feels so nice and smooth after I use this, it gets off all the dead skin on my nose that I tend to get and just gives a really glowing feel
• Nivea Everyday Moisturizer - as my skin doesn't tend to get overly dry (yet) apart from my cheeks, I find that a cheap, everyday moisturizer works perfectly to keep my skin hydrated

Every Evening

• Garnier Cleansing Lotion and cotton wool pads - I find that a cream cleanser is so much quicker to take your makeup off and it's much better for your skin than makeup wipes! This stuff really does the trick, however it's the first one I've tried to I'm open to suggestions of more!
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Foaming Wash (again)
• The Body Shop Vitamin E Night Cream - again, this was the first night cream I've purchased so I'm a bit unsure of it. The Tea Tree night serum has been recommended too and I have a tester so I'll be giving that one a go! The Vitamin E one however, works really well to moisturize the skin at night (obviously) and made my skin feel much softer!

Twice a Week

I use The Body Shop (shocker) Warming Mineral Mask twice a week. This was actually my first purchase from the Body Shop and this is what got the whole obsession started. This mask is perfection. You can actually feel it warming your skin up and after you've taken it off, and applied a bit of moisturizer, your skin feels like a dream! Love this.

Twice a Month

The Glamglow Youthmud mask is honestly the best mask I have ever tried in my life! It goes on almost black and dries grey, but where it's pulled out the excess oil from your skin remains black so you can really see how well it's worked! I wouldn't recommend using this mask any more than once a week as I feel like it's too harsh a treatment (and too expensive) to be used more than that.

As I've said, skincare is my new obsession and I'm open to suggestions of any sort, I'm looking into eye creams and cream cleansers at the moment if anyone has any recommendations! Thanks!

CJ x

My Benefit 'Must Haves'

Let's all take a moment to appreciate Benefit make-up - for my daily face, Benefit is my go-to brand! I'm not saying that everybody has to buy these products - but they are my personal favourite products to use at the moment. I haven't tried everything from Benefit, and I also don't love all of them, but some of them are just pure genius!

'They're Real!' Mascara - oh. my. I can't even begin to describe the amazingness (is that a word?) of this mascara, it is unreal! Everybody has heard of this, it's the UK's number 1 best selling mascara and I can see why! One coat of this leaves my lashes looking so much fuller, more curled, thicker, darker, just perfect. Thank you Benefit for this life-changing product!

'High Beam' Highlighter - my most recent discovery, I really needed a highlighter and I was contemplating several different brands but when I went to the counter and tried this on I knew it was the one for me! It's like little drops of pink-pearl heaven and once applied, it just reflects so perfectly in the light and makes my face look so much better!

'Brow-zings' Brow Kit - I received this for Christmas from my Mum and I really don't know how I managed to cope without it! It's just so efficient to do your brows with - I can outline my brows with the wax and fill them in with the powder! Having ridiculously blonde eyebrows, I need a really strong product to actually make it look like I'm a normal person with normal eyebrows. This is also amazing!

'Porefessional' Primer - another recent purchase. I used to be a Smashbox primer user but I have been officially converted! This stuff just glides on to the skin so smoothly and really reduces the look of pores to give a flawless base for make up.

'Boi-ing' Concealer - I like a high coverage concealer and this one does the job! It doesn't crease under my eyes like some thick concealers can do but it still covers every little blemish my skin throws at me! Well done, Benefit!

'High Brow Glow' Brow Highlight - One of my first daring purchases from benefit, this was my first ever highlighter and I honestly think it's the best brow highlight I've ever used. It's so much better than using a shadow to highlight as it's so quick and easy to use, being in pencil form, but it still has that sheen and long lasting wear that you'd want.

'Hoola' Bronzer - I have to admit it, this is my second favourite bronzer of all time, narrowly being beaten out by Nars laguna. This bronzer is one that will suit most people which is great! unfortunately, I think I might be a teeny bit too pale to use this on an every day basis without tan on. (I understand that this isn't shown on the picture,I haven't had a chance to repurchase it yet - oops!)

Wish List

• 'It's Potent!' Eye Cream
• 'Rockateur' Blush
• 'Total Moisture' Moisturiser
• 'Gimme Brow' Brow Gel

Hope you enjoyed my appreciation of Benefit cosmetics, and maybe share my obsession? Let me know of any products I should try in the comments!

CJ x

'Quick Fix' Fitness?

I've spoken about health and fitness before - how I personally go about it through food and exercise, but I'm not one to pass up an opportunity to get abs in 30 days or less (or so they say). The question is, do they actually work and if so, are they beneficial to you in the long term?

30 Day Shred

Jillian Michaels is a GENIUS and her weight loss DVDs are specially designed to burn fat fast by using HIIT workouts - High Intensity Interval Training - this means short intervals of intense exercise for 20 minutes. She uses a 3-2-1 system, this is three 6 minute circuits consisting of 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of ab workouts.

So, does it work? I can clarify that this one does work if you stick to it! This means 30 days of discipline, 1 workout every single day (there are 3 levels so I recommend 10 days at each level). I actually only made it to day 14 as I developed tonsillitis and literally could not move for 2 weeks. But I saw a difference from day 5, yeah, that's right DAY 5. You feel so much stronger and much more capable by day 5, the first few days in each level are TOUGH, but you just have to push through it and think of the future, think of day 10, 20 even 30 when you've finished your stages and it'll all be worth it.

To see results from only 20 minutes of exercise a day means there are absolutely no rests! None at all, you will not see results if you're pausing the DVD every 6 minutes (yes, I know you do it). Do whatever you can, it's 20 minutes of your day, do you know what percentage that is? It's less that 2% of your day and to see results like this - it's definitely worth it!

So, short answer, THIS DOES WORK, but it takes your own discipline and hard work, obviously, if you need a break you can take it, but your results won't be as good as if you didn't (though you will still see some), just try for 20 minutes a day for 30 days and see where you are then.

28 Day Teatox

So these have taken off a bit recently, with several companies offering the same thing. The tea isn't miraculously going to make you stronger and lose weight alone (despite what my mother thinks). This tea boosts your metabolism, helping you digest food more easily so that you store less fat. It also decreases bloating (something which people begin to notice at day 4), I myself suffer from bloating and it always got me down but this tea really helped me! It also increases your energy - thus why people see such results in their bodies. Increased energy makes you push yourself harder in your workouts or even have a workout on a day that you normally wouldn't. This tea motivates you to climb 12 flights of stairs instead of take the elevators. Another benefit to a teatox - it clears your skin up! This was really unexpected but many people have seen their skin improve significantly. 

The downside to this tea is that, as it works to flush toxins out of your body, it flushes toxins out of your body! Expect a not very happy stomach in the first couple of days, and a possible increase in the number of blemishes you have for the first week. But as the old saying goes - 'Some things get worse before they get better'.

30 Day Challenges

As with the above, these do work, but there is no point relying solely on these quick fix challenges to achieve fitness. You will not see abs if you do 30 days of sit ups, no other exercise and eat crap all day, I'm sorry but it's just not going to work. The most improvement I saw from these challenges was the 30 day squat challenge, and I don't have to tell you about the results of this one. However, not all of these challenges give visible results, but they do make you a lot stronger! Practice makes perfect, I had a lot more bicep and tricep strength after the push-up challenge and I was all-over physically fitter after the plank challenge!

Overview

As I've said, these challenges do work, but you cannot rely on them alone to make you physically fitter and to give you visible muscles. The best way to use these challenges is to get yourself into a healthy mindset a couple of weeks before, try to eat as healthily as you can and still go to the gym! I can't stress this enough, if you've seen results without leading a healthy lifestyle, then good for you, but for most people, the results will wear off within a few weeks of completing these challenges. 

Remember, just because you've completed the squat challenge, doesn't mean you never have to do squats again. You still have to carry on with certain exercises to maintain your results.

I hope this helped some of you who are thinking of starting a challenge!

CJ x

London Haul

As promised! Here's my fashion and makeup haul from London!
You'll have to excuse my face, body and the quality of these photos in general! It was a super quick 'get the photos now before we go to spinning' session.
I did pick up a few extra bits like a fridge magnet and some Harry Potter related things from Platform 9 3/4 which haven't been included in this haul unfortunately.

Striped T-Shirt Dress
Purple floral Jada Dress
Oversized Pale Pink T-Shirt (shown here as almost a dress!)
Brandy Melville

White Oversized Cropped Tee
Cream Ribbed Cropped Jumper
Monki

Black Floppy Hat
Socks (3 pairs for £8)
Topshop

Maybelline Colour Tattoos in On and On Bronze, Metallic Pomegranate and Pink Gold
Maybelline

Mac Lipstick in Honeylove
Mac

Kiko Smart Lipstick in 910
Kiko

Hope you enjoyed my first haul! I'm sorry that it was done in such a rush but I needed to get to the gym. Let me know what your favourite item is or your favourite shop in London!
CJ x

London Photo Diary

So last weekend (30th August - 1st September), my boyfriend Ben and I decided that we'd take a short trip to London. This was extremely exciting as London is a city that neither of us had ever been to before unless we were passing through when travelling (I know - embarrassing)! We packed our bag and got up at an unholy hour in the morning to catch the first train to Manchester to hop on a connecting train to London.

Day One we arrived at Euston and immediately hopped on the tube to our hotel, which was right next to St. Paul's! It was such a perfect location and a gorgeous hotel that I almost didn't want to leave it as quickly as we did. So we walked around St. Paul's and then saw the Millennium Bridge, which we headed straight for to take some photos of the rest of the city. After walking along the Thames we took to the Tower of London, where we spent a good few hours! Then we did a little more exploring around this area, checking out the Shard and the Gherkin. Later, we met up with my neighbour and her friend (who just happened to be in London too!) for something to eat and then went back to the hotel exhausted! 

 Day 2 started with a little bit of shopping in Knightsbridge and then we set off for Buckingham Palace, after which we walked through St. James' gardens - which we beautiful - towards Westminster Abbey and the Houses a Parliament. After taking a few snaps and catching glimpses of the London Eye (which, sadly, we didn't go on) we headed to Trafalgar Square for lunch, and had an afternoon at the National Gallery and the British Museum. We stayed around St. Paul's again at nighttime, loving the restaurants and bars it had to offer.

 Day Three had an insane lack of pictures, we checked out of the hotel, missed breakfast at this place we'd been trying to find all weekend and went straight to King's Cross Station (on the actual 1st September - serious Harry Potter fan moment). After queuing for what seemed like an hour, I finally got my picture. Then we had a day of shopping! I love London for shopping but I'm not that keen on Oxford Street, it was far too busy for my liking, Canarby Street was the best in my opinion! I also loved Covent Garden's shopping and lively atmosphere.

  I had to finish with a picture of the Cathedral - it was just such a familiar sight by the end of the trip. As we were so busy wanting to see everything, we didn't actually get to do that much in London (i.e. the London Eye!) so we will definitely be returning, it's such a beautiful city with so many interesting people and places!
London, you were amazing!
CJ x