Gift Guide for Him

Following my gift guide for her, I thought I'd write a gift guide for him as men are SO difficult to buy for. Once again, I understand that not every man is in to these type of gifts and not every man will even appreciate these gifts (my boyfriend included - seriously, how do you buy for guys?!) Here's a quick and basic gift guide for the last minute Christmas scramblers out there.

Socks - Tompan (3 for £7)

  - Very standard Christmas gift here, but who doesn't love getting socks for Christmas? I personally love receiving socks, even Dumbledore saw himself receiving socks in the Mirror of Erised. EVERYBODY LOVES SOCKS. I especially love the Topman ones at this time of year, they're so Christmassy and cute

Gloves - Topman (£12)

 - Everybody has to have gloves in the winter, especially in these cold snaps! These topman gloves are perfect for Christmas/winter. They're fairisle print but still monochrome so they don't look too festive. They're also touch screen friendly, winner!

The party book(s)  - Drinking games (£5.99) and Never Have I Ever Book (£6.99) - Asos 

 - These are for the lad at university, or even the lad who just enjoys the occasional pre-drinking session with his mates (or indeed, wife and neighbours). These little books have endless laughs and games in them and would be great as stocking fillers!

Cards Against Humanity - Amazon (£20)

- To elaborate on the drinking games, this game brings out the sinister side in us all. The aim of the game is to be as offensive as possible (and intentionally). A definite highlight of any house party, you can't go wrong with this. (Unless you're giving it to your grandma).

Wallet and cardholder set - Ted Baker @ Asos (£45)

- This set is gorgeous! Matte black (and offered in brown too). It is 100% real leather so maybe not ideal for the vegans out there. However, it would make a great gift for a man of any age (unless they're prone to losing their wallets!) In my opinion, it's such a bargain too!

Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera (Black) - Urban Outfitters (£80)

- I LOVE polaroid cameras. There's something about taking a picture and then seeing it print out then and there, this mini polaroid from Fujifilm makes a great main present for a man. It's easily transportable, it automatically determines the best brightness and has automatic flash. It does require instant coloyr film and the print-outs though.

ClarinsMen Grooming Essentials Kit - Boots (£38)

- This is an essential starter kit for those men just getting in to high-end grooming. Comes with a moisture balm, an exfoliating cleanser, a smooth shave and an anti-fatigue eye serum. Buying the kit also saves you £30! Yes!

Happy Plugs Gold Headphones - Urban Outfitters (£25)

- These in-ear headphones are from the Swedish Brand Happy Plugs, and designed in Stockholm! Scandinavian brands seem to be taking the fashion industry by storm at the moment so I had to include one in the gift guide. These headphones come with a built in microphone and are suited to all phones and tablets, and this gold colour is to die for!

Paco Robanne Gift Set - Selfridges (£57)

- Everybody loves the signature 1 million scent from Paco Robanne, This gift set from Selfridges comes with 100ml of the original Eau de Toilette and 150ml of the deodrant. Last minute gift? Check!

Cufflinks - Ted Baker @ Asos (£45)

- For special occasions, or even everyday wear at work! These cream pyramid cufflinks add a little something extra to a shirt or suit. Once again, I think £45 from Ted Baker is an absolute bargain!

Jumper - American Apparel (£66)

 - There are cheaper alternatives, but I personally love the American Apparel Fishermans Pullover on both men and women. I think it's the ideal piece of clothing for these cold, cold winter months! My favourite colour is grey, but the burgandy and navy also make great additions to the winter wardrobe. 

Trainers - Vans @ Urban Outfitters (£52)

- Trainers are essential in a man's wardrobe and I love the style of the Old Skool Vans! Obviously, these aren't practical working out trainers but they make great casual wear and are good for walking too (once they've been broken in) These black and tan ones are great all year round!

1001 collection - Waterstones (on sale at £10 each!)

 - The 1001 collection is a fairly recent discovery of mine and they will make amazing gifts! Updated every year, there is a book for everyone. 1001 movies to see before you die, 1001 guitars to play, 1001 places to visit and my personal favourite, 1001 beers to drink before you die. A must-have this Christmas.

Game of Thrones Box Set (Seasons 1-3) - Amazon (£32)

- Almost every male is obsessed with Game of Thrones. This box set includes every episode of seasons 1 to 3, unfortunately not season 4 as it hasn't been released on DVD yet (WHY?! God only knows, it's Christmas for goodness sake)

IPad Air 2 - John Lewis (£399)

 - If you really want to push the boat out this Christmas, Apple's latest iPad is the way to do it! This is the thinnest and lightest iPad ever, and has boosted it's performance massively. It also now comes in grey in addition to the original black and white. 

Once again, there you have it! I hope I have fulfilled all of your last-minute shopping needs! Obviously, I'm not saying that every man will love to get these specific items, but I hope I gave you some sort of ideas to take away with you. If he's not into Paco Robanne, get him Viktor & Rolf's Spice Bomb, or the Burberry Gift Set. An Only Fools and Horses box set is a great alternative to Game of Thrones and what about the Xbox One instead of the iPad  air? There you go, EVEN MORE gift ideas!
Happy shopping everybody!
CJ x

What I got for my birthday

It was my birthday at the end of October and I got so spoiled! My friends and family really do know me so well and I am so appreciative and thankful of what I received, I have used every single item so far (apart from the gift vouhers and GHDs) so nothing has been wasted!

Beauty

Rose Gold GHD V (latest arrival - only came this morning!)
MAC lipstick in Pink Plaid

MAC lipstick in Up the Amp

Benefit's Bronze of Champions Kit

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Essie Nail Polish mini trio (Madamoiselle, Fifth Avenue and Mint Candy Apple)

Ted Baker Make Up Bag

Lush bag things - Sparkling Pumpkin bubble bar, The Wizard bubble bar, Butterbear bath bomb, Snow fairy shower gel, Star Light, Star Bright bath melt, the Christmas Hedgehog bubble bar, Candy Mountain bubble bar, 

Fashion

Olivia Burton watch
Marc Jacobs purse

White Old Skool Vans

Hollister Shimmering crop tee

Hollister long sleeve striped tee

Zara black bag

Hogwarts Tee
Accesorize every day earrings (not featured/currently wearing)
Accesorize scrunchies

Miscellanious

Handwarmer
Jamie Oliver's 15 minute meals

Kopparberg

Vouchers - Boots and Topshop eee!

So that's everything! I had a wonderful birthday and I'm so grateful for everything I received. I even bought a few of these items myself as a gift to me from me.

P.S. How amazing is the Frozen gift bag? I couldn't resist putting it on here, it's so cute!

CJ x

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

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