#760: Hello, Monday.

First outing for one of my Flapper Girl lady ties, so lovely.
Good morning!
I hope you had a good weekend, mine was nice. Some of our Uni friends came up to watch the rugby at Moon's on Saturday, I hate sports so I joined them afterwards, it was so good to see everyone and hang out. We went for breakfast at Frankie & Benny's yesterday morning and it was terrible, I've been thinking and I don't think I've ever had a good meal at any Frankie & Benny's restaurant. We laughed it off just because it was so awful, safe to say I don't think we'll be returning, milk for tea/coffee in a shot glass, come on!

So, towards to tail-end of last week I was feeling really demotivated, but the sun is shining and it's a new week. I've already had a promising phone call from Portsmouth University's recruitment agency, Purple Door and I've got a list as long as my arm of jobs to apply for/enquire about so I hope to keep busy.

Here are some things that are exciting and nice about today.

The sun is out and even though I am restricting myself to inside, my room is warm and bright.

I'm seeing Russell Howard this evening.

Hello 22 followers, I hope I live up to expectation.

Crafty Creatives — This is an incredible idea, it's like a Glossybox but for crafts! I think it will provide a much higher standard than those magazines you usually see floating about right about now, already subscribed.

Orla Kiely for Uniqlo — If I can't afford her beautiful homewares, I can still wear her designs, currently lusting after one of the tunics. Here's hoping the local Kingston Uniqlo is stocking it.

Lovely jobs, and not in the falsly advertised reed.co.uk sense.

Models Own new Beetlejuice colours — Was a good excuse to place an order for a new bottle of Top Turquoise and some other pretty springtime shades, can't wait to get them. I only ordered Indian Ocean from the new collection, not for any reason other than that I'm not a 'metallic nails kind of girl' and I thought the other two were a bit too gold/copper for me.

Like any good Internet user, I rounded off my Sunday with videos of cats, there are too many 'awhs' to not share. :3

Here's to a productive and happy week, did I mention I'm seeing Russell Howard tonight? *squee!

Newbury Check-out.

On Wednesday, which I realise is practically light years ago, Moon and I went down to Newbury to check it out and see if it would be a nice place to live, it turns out that it is. It's pretty damn lovely actually, now the challenge seems to be finding rental properties that are available by the end of the month, if you've ever tried this, you will know that it is impossible.

Hopefully something will come up soon as we really need to get our skates on with Moon starting his new job on the 2nd April. Hopefully I will have something myself by then, but I plan on continuing my search once we're down there if I don't have anything. There is a small creative community as well as a few newspapers so I might be lucky.
We tried our hand at online house-hunting yesterday afternoon but were a bit disheartened as most places we liked were either gone or not available soon enough. We were even told rather rudely by Charles Abby (yeah I'll name them because they're not very good), that we're essentially 'unrentable', that is before whoever we spoke to simply hung up. I guess we just won't go with them though as they seemed to be unnecessarily in-depth and basically nosey and others we spoke to were very polite despite having to let us down.

I didn't take many photos while we were there as there was so much to take in. I really like it there though and I look forward to a new adventure. The canals are lovely, as is the town centre, which is so new and pretty. There are so many nice places to explore, not to mention lots of pubs that we can bring our friends to when they visit. ♥


Anywhere that has it's own sausage is obviously the place to be.


How cute is this? It's a night club which stays open until 5:30am on Saturdays, crazy stuff.



This is the adorable collection box outside the RSPCA, there are loads of charity shops in Newbury and most of them look like boutiques (super posh), it will be so much fun to have a nose around once we move there. As we'll be quite skint for cash for a bit, it's quite useful too, especially as I'm a lot more crafty than I was giving myself credit for.




There are so many swans on the canal rather than the standard two, it got a bit lairy.


It feels like I'm closer to moving out, which is what I've wanted for ages, I guess I am a bit nervous but it will be great to have more independence, especially when it's somewhere so pretty.

I think my interview with Sky went okay yesterday but I have a ton of jobs to apply for into next week so I'm not resting on it. If I apply for more, this will hopefully mean more chance of a response.

Spring Mint.

Apparently the football is on, so I thought I'd take some time to give you a quick update.

I have an interview for a Media Researcher position with BSkyB tomorrow, which I think is a pretty big deal. It is a little bit daunting thinking of all the people who must have applied for the role but it's great to have even been considered for an interview. I'm still going to go in faking confidence though, as I feel like it's similar to the kind of role I've taken on as an intern so I should be able to do it.

I'm posting today to share with you an outfit I wore the other day, I think it really sums up how the weather has been at the moment, how amazing was it today? Saying that, I did make the mistake of not bringing a cardigan down to Moon's for this evening and am currently slobbing it up in one of his massive man hoodies. Hopefully you'll see this as a slightly more flattering outfit.


Cardigan: H&M
Dress: TK Maxx
Necklaces: Primark, H&M
Tights: Dorothy Perkins
Socks: New Look
Boots: River Island


These a little bit worse for wear at the moment as I haven't cleaned them since Moon and I went to Richmond Park a few weeks ago. They're still really comfortable, but much less structured than they were, I'm going to go on a hunt for tips on how to fix this/see if I can even fix it.


Topshop


I picked up that dress in TK Maxx a couple of weeks ago, while in a 'it needs to be Spring now' kind of mood. I love it but was given a challenge by Moon who claimed I would be unable to pull it off. It's a slightly different length to the dresses that I usually wear but I love how floaty and girly it makes me feel, was an instant mood-lifter after the lame-fest that was attending the Job Centre on Monday.

---

I've been wearing the Lancôme mascara that I got in my Glossybox instead of my usual, and I actually can't say that I really notice that much difference. In the picture below I even have one on one eye and the other on the other. I mean it's a nice mascara, don't get me wrong, but I'm pretty high-street and I couldn't justify it being almost 4 times the price of my usual when I don't feel that it's that amazing. I guess I did catch my Rimmel mascara on a good day, but I don't mind waiting for a good day, especially when 'bad days' aren't actually that bad.

---

So, I mentioned that I had a bit of an Etsy-fest last week, I did restrain myself, but also picked up a couple of things, one I'm still waiting for, but these delights popped through the letterbox this morning, amazing. I'm not sure why I got them but they're so adorable and different from anything I've ever really seen before. I got them from Flapper Girl and they arrived pretty quickly, I can't wait to try them out.

---

Here is how my nails look today, I was inspired by Kaylah over at The Dainty Squid when she modelled her robin's egg polka dot nails. I basically worked with what I had, putting my trusty eBay nail-art pen to work, I think it makes a bit of a change from my standard flowers and leopard print.

Base: Models Own, Jade Stone
Glitter: Rimmel, Disco Ball
Top coat: BeautyUK Matte Top Coat

---

I finally caved today and picked up a new perfume, despite what I said when I reviewed my Glossbybox. Most perfume is currently 10% off at Superdrug and I've been lusting after Lacoste 'Touch of Pink' since forever. It's a bit fruity but also so fresh, I usually get bought perfume so it was quite liberating to be able to make my own choice over how I should smell (lolz).

Tuesday Tabs #9

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

This week is a bit Etsy-centric because I might have gone a bit mad and had one day last week where basically all I did was browse Etsy, but then, I was ill so what else was I supposed to do? And I've found some quite pretty things, so it's not technically an unproductive use of time...

I've got some great news, not necessarily for me, but Moon has managed to bag himself a job! I'm so happy because now he won't be such a mope. We're planning on heading down to a place called Newbury tomorrow to check out places to live. We need to have a serious talk about what we're going to do next because obviously I don't have a job at the moment, but my mum said she's willing to support me for a bit, and I'm sure there are other things that can help me out. It does make a me a bit sad though because I actually have enough money to be self sufficient, but only for about three months before it's all gone and then I really would have nothing. So it's a tough decision to make, but I wouldn't mind a change of scenery.

I've not really had any more leds for jobs, but I've only really picked up the job hunt again within the last couple of days so I hope to hear back from places soon, or just keep going...

---

Letterpress prints, £23.61, Happy Deliveries


Small Fabric Blue Tit, £150, Catherine Frere-Smith
Not entirely sure why anyone would want this but I totally do.


Don't Forget to Write, £20, Jamie Mills Illustration
This is firmly on my wishlist, firstly because it reminds me of 'Up', secondly because it's a limited edition of 50 and finally because it's pretty big (A3). I plan on buying this as soon as everything has settled down, I already have so many things that I want to frame and put on the wall, but this would be a welcome addition.


There's Always Room for Ice Cream, £22.95, Two for Joy Paper
Is it unusual to want to hang things in the kitchen? I think this would look great in a kitchen.


Crimson Galaxy Print Skirt, £78.69, Shadow Play NYC
You know what I want to know, where the promised 'diffused down to high street galaxy print' is, owning a pair of Black Milk leggings just doesn't satisfy me anymore and while this skirt is beautiful it's a lot more than I'm willing to spend.


Jersey blazer, £49.99, Zara
There's been so much fuss surrounding Zara recently that I thought I would pop into the Kingston branch while I was there. I kind of feel like I'm not yet old enough to be shopping there, just due to the price range of most of the items, however, for investment pieces, I think I'm in love. I saw the most gorgeous bag, which sadly I can't find on the website, for around £70, which yes, is a lot but it would never go out of fashion. This blazer probably is one of their more fashionable items, just because of the pop-colour, but the quality in is ten fold anything I would be able to find in New Look, which when you consider the price isn't too bad. I may consider a more sensible version once I've got a job.



Space bunting necklace, £8, Sophie Dear

(via The Sun: Biz Sessions

'Love Me Tender' (Cover) by Peter Liddle and Matthew Taylor of Dry the River
So fast making their way onto my list of favourite bands, which as many of you may know is pretty tough as I only like about three bands.


1m Tall Totoro Plush, £38.03, MOLAPILA
Feeling as though there is little need for a description as this is just so ridiculous.


Moomins V Mormons T-shirt, £20, Hole in my Pocket


Set of 5 Mr. T Mugs, £32.79, Lenny Mud


I Miss Being A Small Girl lasercut, £87.21, Rob Ryan

(via Goodnight Little Spoon)

Cat Breeds - Contempo Kitty Breeds Poster, £24.17, Sarah Loves Cats
What 'Tuesday Tabs' post would be complete without something cat-related?

(via Goddamnitshawn)

May or may not have had a browse of the 'bacon and eggs' tab on Tumblr after posting this picture of bacon and eggs.


Stallion cushion, £12, Habitat
I usually associate Habitat with being pretty luxury, so I was pretty surprised to find this cushion was only £12, as normally cushions are through-the-roof expensive, seemingly for no reason now that I consider how cheap it was to make two cushions. Sadly due to now having a million cushions and already outputting my crazy on the cat cushions, I can't justify injecting yet more of my obsessions into my someday home's interior decorating, I really don't want people visiting and thinking they've entered the house of a cat and horse-obsessed mad woman.

---

Link Love: ♥

Hand-stamped DIY Pony-print Dress — Big lover of any animal print anything, and in a DIY-tastic mood so this may very well get done at some point, it's seems so easy.

DIY Chalkboard Cabinets — Although I'm totally in love with Elsie from A Beautiful Mess' chalkboard kitchen, I think this tutorial by Elizabeth from Delightfully Tacky is much more up my street. Thanks to both these ladies though, I now know that such a thing as 'chalkboard paint' exists, which could make for some super-neat upcycling, Hopefully we'll find somewhere that will allow us to do as such.

Three Springtime Milkshakes — The mega-pie in me would be happier if these weren't milkshakes, as I'm probably the only person in the world who doesn't care for milkshakes, but these are very pretty instructions and I have been known to break my own rule and sip on a banana milkshake every now and then.

Gem Fatale's Feline Fest — Gem provided major Caturday treats at the weekend, featuring nail art homaging that Lazy Oaf t-shirt and the most adorable DIY pocket fabric inspiration - her own tutorial on this is linked below.

DIY Pocket Patch Shorts — Apparently I can't get enough of Gem this week, this morning she posted a really simple tutorial on how to get those patched pockets. I have way more fabric left over than I had bargained for so it's definitely something I'll be trying out soon, talk about excellent utilisation of hair straighteners!

Drunk Girl Designs — Awesome kitchen-themed original artwork and prints, including illustrated recipes, tea towels and this great Sriracha hot sauce print.

Kaylah's Cats looking a squirrel — One of the main reasons I love The Dainty Squid so much is the kitties. I adore this super cute post of Kaylah's cats looking longingly out the window at a squirrel, they're so well-captured.

Famous brands and their names

---

I'm not sure how well this post flows compared with others as it's a total mix of clothing, interiors and even jewellery, as well as DIY tutorials. It's been that kind of week though.

March Glossybox: Harrods Edition.

Having read LlyMlrs' review of the Harrods edition Glossybox she got when she attended the launch party, all that was really going through my head was, 'a new lipstick would be pretty nice'. I've never used a whole lipstick so a sample size would have been perfect, and because it was a Burberry lipstick and I've never been able to afford a lipstick like that, plus it would be wasted if I could due to my sad case of 'small mouth-thin lip syndrome'; at the very least a sample lipstick would have slightly relieved my distress. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, and being out and about while seeing all the negative comments about this month's Glossybox I was worried I would end up even more disappointed without the lipstick. I don't think I am though.

The reason I didn't review last month's Glossybox is because while it was all lovely, it was just a bit unexciting. I mean you can never have enough shower gel and the sample sizes definitely come in useful, but I have eyeshadow up to my ears and I would have rather had the soap version of the Dr. Bronner's product. I am feeling a lot better about this month, as there are a couple of things I wouldn't have considered, which is what was so nice about my first Glossybox back at the beginning of February - I'm planning on picking up a full-size bottle of Murad's Skin Perfecting Primer because I've since decided that it's actually amazing, much better (in my opinion) that the similarly-priced-but-much-smaller Porefessional from Benefit.


I guess I was a bit excited when Glossybox's collaboration with Harrods was announced but I had no idea what to expect. It made me feel pretty satisfied that once again Glossybox would be worth the money. This month's box arrived looking pretty as usual, wrapped in a special Harrods ribbon, there is just something about Glossybox that feels luxury generally but this looked extra special.


Valentina Eau De Parfum by Valentino
I'm on the hunt for a new perfume having finally exhausted various Christmas and birthday presents. Firstly I'd like to say that this sample product-design is wonderful, I got my first perfume sample like this with an order from Space NK at Christmas, the perfume was good anyway but for the size, this sample lasted a fairly long time so I'm expecting a couple of uses out of this one to ease off my perfume hunt for the time being (which my bank balance will probably thank me for). I think this is quite a pretty fragrance but slightly too floral and sweet for me, I generally prefer a slightly fresher fragrance, but that's just my preference.


Molton Brown - Vitalising Vitamin AB+C Bath & Shower
Glossybox do love to spoil with the shower/bath products don't they? This smells amazing, not sure if I'll noticed the difference that the vitamins are supposed to make but at least I'll smell nice.


SK-II - Skin Signature
This is perhaps where I think Glossybox may have got their tailoring a bit off this month. I mean they say it's never too early to start worrying about wrinkles, but I'm 22, and I don't so... It smells lovely but as an anti-ageing moisturiser and due the fact that I don't have particularly dry skin, it looks like this will be one that I'll pass on to my mum.


Lancôme - Hypnose Drama Mascara
I'm currently using Rimmel's Scandaleyes Mascara and it's just at that nice stage where I no longer have to worry about only having two eyelashes when I leave the house. I've never really been one for expensive mascara as I kind of like the clumping although I'm willing to give this a go to see if I can be converted.


Clarins - Extra Firming Body Cream
Body moisturiser is another thing that I got loads of over Christmas, it might be a little while before I get around to trying this out, and again Clarins seems like a brand that's a little bit too 'old' for me, but it's also a brand that I trust to do what it says so I'm betting that I will be pleasantly surprised.


Shu Uemura - Cleansing Beauty Oil
This was a product that really surprised me and the one that I'm looking most forward to using. I don't think I've really seen anything like this before. I do wonder if it will work well on my skin as I tend to be oily/combination so I wonder if oil would be the right thing to use, but that's one of the great things about Glossybox and samples and I'm willing to give it a go.



It's a bit of a shame that due to their collaboration that this month's discount for these products is only available at Harrods but it's unsurprising given that it's a special edition box. There is discounts on further products not just in the box though, which is quite nice.

In a way, after all I've said, I guess this was a bit of a mixed bag, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy with it. I'm looking forward to seeing what my sister got in hers, although we do keep getting mostly the same despite our difference skin/hair etc types so I wonder whether Glossybox really is as tailored as it says, a criticism that seems to be very much at the front of today's disappointed outcries. Not quite a bandwagon I'm jumping on just yet as on the whole I'm pretty pleased.

Are you signed up with Glossybox? What did you think of this month's offering?