Ohhhhh What's In Your Bag?

For some reason, fashion bloggers love the 'what's in your bag?' posts. I thought to myself: "why not?". The post would enable me to review the basic Zara handbag, too!

The bag itself is very flimsy in comparison to the Office City Bag. If structure is important to you, this might not be the ideal handbag. I personally love bags that are like this one, I can throw (maybe not actually throw) in my belongings before I go out. It's very 'roomy' and this is ideal because I can accommodate things such as my ear muffs, which can take up quite a lot of space! Also, as it isn't structured like the Office City Bag, it means that everything fits in more easily, and you can be flexible with the type of items you store inside. However, if you're looking to place a laptop inside a handbag, I would definitely opt for the Office City Bag, as the middle compartment is designed to store laptops or tablets, with its extra padded compartment. This bag has just one zip, so if you are a lady of organisation this my not be suitable!

From left to right: Bottle of water (so exciting), some free tissues I received outside the train station from Virgin (thank you Richard Branson, they've come in handy!), one glove (because I've lost the other one somewhere ...), raspberry lip balm from The Body Shop (two pounds, I believe, very moisturising and tastes amazing!), black makeup bag from Superdrug (two pounds, again, if I remember correctly), Apple earphones for my iPhone (which I'm taking this picture with), keys, miniature Elnette hairspray, moleskine diary and pen, Kindle with Run For Cover 'Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland' cover, ear muffs (Accessorize sale), purse (Accessorize sale, £4.00 reduced from £18.00), glasses (free from Specsavers, yay!), Oyster card with university holder.

I like to keep my 'make up' items separate from things in my bag. It keeps everything organised, and by keeping the makeup separate from my other belongings i.e. phone, purse and Kindle - it keeps them safe!

Inside my makeup bag: Denman mini brush (two pounds), non-metal hair band, Bourjois translucent powder (I've had this for ages, I honestly cannot remember how much it was!), Mua eyeshadows and nail varnish (one pound each), tweezers and eyebrow brush (gifts), Blistex relief cream (three pounds. This is incredible for people with lips that are highly prone to cracking or dryness. It has saved my lips this winter! It's not a fancy lipstick or lipbalm, and it smells a bit bad but it heals everything in the lip area), Eyeko mascara (£13.50).

Beating Stress & Sleep Issues

I'm not sure about you, but I'm definitely feeling the downsides of being a student at the moment. The picture below is of me right now, without any make up (except a bit of mascara residue because I couldn't find any remover last night, oops). The amount of sleep, and the amount of stress you're under has a great amount to do with how you look and feel about yourself. Stress affects my sleep more than anything, and as it's my last semester of Uni, I'm doing my best to make sure I'm feeling happy and healthy.

 

Top Tips for Feeling Happy and Healthy:

1. Eat your five (at least) portions of vegetables and fruit a day.
2. Stick to eight hours of sleep a night.
3. Wake up early, and 9am at the latest on days off:
4. Always eat breakfast.
5. Drink plenty of water.
6. Substitute cow's milk for soya milk (much more nutritious and less fat).
7. Be French, and walk everywhere! Even without purpose!
8. Bake your own treats, it's more fun and healthy, and you will enjoy it more.
9. Don't keep track of calories if you can help it. Sometimes focusing on exactly how many calories you've had makes you feel bad if you haven't had enough/had too much. It's better to eat when you're hungry, and stop when you're full. Then your body will be energised!
10. Always moisturise your skin at night, no matter what. Wear tinted moisturiser in the day instead of foundation.
11. Do your Uni work at any time up until 10pm. You need to relax, release stress and prepare for the next day.
12. Listen to classical music when studying. It's not just for the bath or art galleries! It's scientifically proven that it eliminates background noise, and thus allows the brain to focus easier.
13. Smile even if you don't feel like it.
14. Keep a diary, so that you are aware of deadlines. If you prioritise your work and manage to get it done in advance, reward yourself.
15. Make a playlist of happy songs. Katrina and the Waves "I'm Walking on Sunshine" is a must!
16. Curl up in a blanket and read books. If you're reading for an English Literature degree, remember why you enrolled on it in the first place.
17. Go to the cinema in your spare time. Everyone's talking about that new film ...
18. Go to the library, find a quiet space (not the internet cafe!) and get that difficult task out of the way during gaps between your lectures. You will feel more productive, and more eager to involve yourself in your seminars because you have taken the time to learn something.
20. Fifteen minute naps later on in the day can help revitalise your mind. A quick snooze here and there will boost your concentration levels, and help you retain your calm.

Liebster Award!

I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but I’ve been nominated for a Liebster award by the lovely Evie and Izzy. The award is given to bloggers with less than two hundred followers, and I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you for reading my blog and that I am very excited to be amongst these other wonderful up-and-coming blogs!

The rules of the Liebster Award are as follows:

• Each person must post 11 things about themselves.
• Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for your nominees.
• Choose 11 people with less than 200 followers and link them in your post.
• Go to their page and tell them.
• No tag backs.

Eleven facts about myself:

1. I was homeschooled. I left school at the age of eleven, and went to a sixth-form college to take my GCSE in English when I was seventeen. After I received an A*, I proceeded to A Levels and earned a place at my current university!
 

2. My ambition in life is to do what I love! My aspirations at the moment are to become a primary school teacher. I'd love to return to academia someday, and perhaps enrol on a Victorian Literature MA degree. I'd love to teach children elsewhere in the world. The image of reading to children under a tree in Africa is adorable! 

3. I'm half Welsh. My mother's side of the family comes from there. My middle name is the Welsh version of the English name 'Jane', hence the 'y'. 

4. I've been with my boyfriend David for two and a half years. We met during our first week at University, and he's the loveliest person I've ever met. We live in a studio flat together with our hamster, Scout!

5. I own a hamster named Scout, named after the character in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. 

6. I'm a Francophile! I went to Paris last year, and it was the most incredible time of my life! The food, the fashion, the language, the culture, the history - tres chic.

7. I love playing musical instruments. I learnt the basics for violin and 'cello last year. I can play guitar, keyboard and am hoping to learn many more. I'm planning to get a ukelele in the shape of an apple, an applele!

8. I suffer from Dyslexia. Luckily, I am obsessed with spelling.

9. My favourite animals are pandas. Soooo cute!

10. I love all animals, really. I've been a vegetarian for eight years, and I regularly donate to WWF.

 

Evie's questions to me:

What is your all-time favourite book to read?

Ohhh, that is a challenging question! At the moment, my favourite book to read is 'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins. I'm unhealthily obsessed with Victorian literature!

What is your favourite beauty product?

My favourite beauty product would have be perfume. I can go out with no make up on, but I always feel conscious if I don't smell nice and clean!

Name your top 3 favourite films?

Legally Blonde, because it proves that feminine girls can be smart too. Breakfast at Tiffany's is another, and it is a classic. The final one would have to be An Education because I love the Parisian montage!

Who is your favourite actress or actor?

Audrey Hepburn. She was not only a great actress, but a beautiful and kind person.

If you could be an animal what would it be?

Panda!

What is your favourite perfume or scent to wear?

I've got an old bottle of Marc Jacobs's 'Daisy' that I received for my 18th birthday. That's pretty to wear, but I've had it for nearly four years now! When I'm a lot older I'm going to wear Chanel! I've recently smelt Miss Dior perfume, and that was gorgeous! I've got a gift voucher to use soon, so I might get it if I can get it with that. I'll be sure to post a review!

What is your best beauty secret or tip?

To keep my skin clear, I exfoliate every other day. I never wear concealer or foundation. I only use a light tinted moisturiser, a little pressed powder and a sweep of blusher. Mascara on the top lashes. Natural looks better, and is much healthier for your skin. Moisturising is key. Less is more.

Which beauty blogger would you be best friends with, if you could?

I love Evie's blog because it's so inspiring and positive. Her motivation and drive is incredible!
 

What is your favourite quote or phrase?

In relation to this blog: "fashion fades, style is eternal" - Coco Chanel

Do you think you’ve changed over the past year?

I do, actually. At 21, I've become a lot more mature, and that can be seen in the way I dress, in the way I write, my attitudes towards the future, the strength of my relationship, the happiness in my home, the happiness with my family and friends, just every aspect. I'm looking forward to 22 next month! It's my favourite number.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

I see myself as a primary school teacher that enjoys her job. I'd be living with my boyfriend in a warm house! I'd live outside London, own a pink vintage Figaro car and drive in the countryside and have picnics on sunny days. I'd go to weekly ballet classes and join a book club!

My Nominations:

1. Ashley Rose Bubbles: http://ashleyrosebubbles.blogspot.co.uk

2. Summer's Beauty on a Budget: http://summersbeautyonabudget.blogspot.co.uk/

3. Jessica in your Ear: http://www.jessicainyourear.blogspot.co.uk

4. Ruffles and Lace 44: http://rufflesandlace44.blogspot.co.uk

5. Vintage Beauty 92: http://vintagebeauty92xox.blogspot.co.uk

6. Evie Chrys: http://eviechrys.blogspot.co.uk

7. Beauty Stuff By Ana: http://beautystuffbyana.blogspot.co.uk/

8. Beauty By Design: http://www.beauty-bydesign.blogspot.co.uk/

9. Floral Fille: http://floralfille.blogspot.co.uk/

10. Tale of Time: http://taleoftime.blogspot.co.uk/

11. Apple Toothpaste: http://appletoothpaste.blogspot.co.uk/

Emma Loves: January 2013

Hello everyone! I've decided to make a new type of post, aptly named 'Emma Loves'. Basically, I'm going to create a list of things I've loved each and every month. This can range from books, records, exhibitions, plays, fashion or beauty. Anything! So, I'm going to start right now, even though we're in the middle of January:

1. The Body Shop - Jumbo Strawberry Shower Gel

Ohhhhh my stars, this smells amazing. I was on the hunt for a jumbo shower gel on the high street, as I go through a standard bottle nearly every week. I thought instead of just purchasing the substandard Dove shower gel from the pound shop, I'd have a seach on the high street for something that will last longer. I never go into the Body Shop really, it's quite expensive and I only go in there if I'm buying gifts for people. However, I noticed that they had a sale on, and so I came to the assumption that there would be a shower gel I'd like. There was! It smells amazing, and it reminds me of Wimbledon tennis tournaments. The scent is fresh and not sickly, though, and it was half price. I bought it for £7.50 reduced from £15.00 - there is so much of it! It's likely to last me at least two months if not longer. Bargain!

2. Batiste Dry Shampoo - Blush

Ahhh, here we are again, the lovely dry shampoo as mentioned in my last blog post. This stuff is really good, and I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a reasonably priced and effective dry shampoo. The only other one I've tried is Lush's dry shampoo, which I didn't really like all that much (and I'm a big fan of Lush!) just because it was like putting flour into your hair. Thinking about it, maybe it was flour ...


3. Accessorize scarf

This scarf is so warm and comfortable. I had been wanting it for so long, but when I saw the £28.00 price tag I could never have justified it. Luck arrived, and I was walking back home from a long day, and I see £20.00 taken away from the price tag. This purchase caused a bit of a big smile, as it proves that patience is a virtue! After giving away the majority of my scarves to Oxfam just recently, I had faced the difficulty of having just one 'skinny' black one. The red tartan pattern is gorgeous, thick and good quality. I'm hoping that it will last for a very long time!


4. Vogue Magazine

The February issue is great, with lots of projected fashion trends for the spring and summer seasons. It's like every girl's fashion bible! Vogue usually costs £4.10 (eep!) but this is the last edition before my Christmas 2011 gift subscription ends, sob!


5. Paperchase pencil case.

It's my last semester at university, and what better incentive is there than stationery shopping?! This adorable pencil case from Paperchase cost just £5.00 and has little compartments to store your erasers and pencil sharpners. Very appropriate for my future career in primary education, too!

6. Panda highlighters - Paperchase £3.00

These are the epitome of adorable. I must see the pandas in Edinburgh at some point this year!


7. Stephen Hawking - A Briefer History of Time & Alice in Wonderland Kindle Cover

Yes, I agree. It must be a bit odd spotting a Stephen Hawking text in the middle of a blog post like this one. At 'Written on the Sky' we embrace diversity. Back to the point, though, I have loved this book ever since I saw it in my local Waterstones. Although it has some relevance to my dissertation, I have been reading it attentively, and it is an incredibly interesting and accessible version of the original. It has made me very excited to begin my Science course later this year! The full RRP for this book is £9.99

The picture above is a Kindle cover. My Kindle enables me to read a lot of these books for free, and this is a great cover because it prevents my Kindle from randomly being switched on while it's jumbling about in my bag throughout the day. Run For Cover are a company that have created covers based on classic editions. They're gorgeous!


8. Letter writing set from Paperchase £5.00

As soon as I brought this home with me, my boyfriend politely nicknamed me "Jane Austen!". There's something very sweet and endearing about letter writing, and I'm not sure whether or not it's because of the looming prices of stamps or because it just means that someone spent their afternoon trying to make yours that little bit nicer. It's like that quotation by Charles Dickens: "No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another" - Our Mutual Friend. My Grandparents are unable to access their emails, and speaking on the telephone can be quite challenging with hearing difficulties. As I'm in London and they're in Yorkshire, it gives me the perfect excuse and opportunity to write letters. There is nothing quite like writing a message with a physical pen, and then physically sending it off via post.



9. Macaroons from Laduree - £1.60

Macaroons are heavenly, and that is all. Even the carrier bags resemble something from Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette!


10. Les Miserables OST - RRP: £9.99

I've just recently acquired this. I'm not very familiar with musicals at all, and it is one of my new year's resolutions to become more familiar with them. After seeing the trailer for the film adaptation, I was wowed! (I'm not even sure if that's a word, bad English Literature student!). I cannot wait to see it at the cinema with my friend next week, I am expecting to be in tears for three hours, but I will be able to use my historical knowledge of the French Revolution from my romanticism module, and as I have been listening to the songs beforehand - I can enjoy it with everyone else! I'm very surprised at how good a singer Anne Hathaway is! Very powerful, considering they all sang live on set too!

Dry Shampoo-ing

Topknot & Snood

Hello everyone! I've been very busy as of late. University magazine has finally been edited, and is now ready for printing. Dissertation and module essays are now in the process of being written, and I'm here tucked away in my tiny studio flat in London typing away. I wanted to share my little experience with you from last week. I went to get my hair cut at Rush, as I've never been there before, and the price for students was £45.00 reduced from £60.00. It's hard to part with that amount of money for a hair cut, and since I hadn't had my hair cut for nearly an entire year (yes, I know) I decided to finally take the plunge!

It was very easy to book an appointment there. I was able to arrange it on the internet (http://www.rush.co.uk) as you can have your iCal (or diary!) in front of you while you make a decision! When I finally got there, it was very empty because I went at 9am. I was given a pot of tea (yum) and a biscuit which I didn't eat. I got chatting to the hairdresser and she said: "you wash your hair too much, your hair is coarse and extremely dry". When I heard this, I was sobbing inside! For some reason, I have always found it extremely difficult to not wash my hair every day. It has definitely switched into a psychological thing, where I become paranoid at the thought of others looking at me and thinking: "ewwww she doesn't wash her hair! Yuck!". Maybe it's the New Year or something, but I decided to give it a go once my hair was done. It was a bit shorter than I wanted, but I have made the hasty decision to be a bit nicer to my poorly locks now. My hairdresser recommended that I cut my hair every two and a half months and wash it every other day. I'm thinking that I might leave it a little longer in-between cuts, just because I want to grow my hair. I've been very good, though, and I've managed to leave my hair cleanse itself with its natural oils.

Batiste: Blush

The best way to make sure that your roots don't become oily is to apply some dry shampoo before you go to bed at night. Batiste are renowned for their dry shampoo products, and I use the Blush version, which smells adorable and only costs £1.49. So you're not only saving money on hair cleansing products, but time as well. If you're a fan of topknots, it is far much easier to wear it on 'the second day' as you won't experience the problem of flyaways as much, if at all. 

Cosmopolitan Lipstick Reviews

Yaaaay! My lipstick reviews for HerUni.com have been published on the Cosmopolitan website! Click the image above to visit the page.

Sales!

Hello everybody! I hope that you all had a fantastic introduction to the new year. I'm afraid that I have been very busy as of late. I have returned to University, and have had much reading to do (some of my books are 900 pages long) and essays are being set already. Although I do not intend for this to be a review, a 'haul' style post seemed like a fun idea.

When I say "I'm not a sales person" I do not mean that I won't buy anything that is offered at a reduced price. Instead, I'll mean that I refuse to buy anything at a reduced price because I don't need it, or due to its reason for being placed in the sales aisle i.e. damage or item does not conform to current fashion trends. I find the idea of shopping at Oxford Street on Boxing Day quite traumatising, even when I am just contemplating it! Crowds, labels on the floors, toes being trodden on, humidity and severe stress. So, while I was drinking cappucinos in the rural countryside during the seasonal fesitivities, I looked at my list of things necessary purchases. I logged onto Zara.com for the very first time, and to my surprise, I had seen products that I had looked at for a while - at reduced prices.

The main tip to buying in sales is to remember that you are only saving money if you are buying something you would have bought regardless. Unfortunately, I used to be one of those people who would buy all sorts from sales just because of the brand names. It is worth investing in a £19.99 jumper from Uniqlo that will keep you warm throughout winter as opposed to spending £15.00 on a dress from Topshop, that you can only wear out once and does not particularly flatter your figure anyway. Psychologically, most people are encouraged to think that the reduction compensates for what the items are lacking. So be careful, ladies!

To make the post a bit more interesting, here is what I bought from Zara.com!

Basic Ballerina with Bow - £16.99 reduced from £19.99

I adore classic ballerina flats. I always feel so elegant and yet practical when wearing them. They really are the most versatile style of shoe! I often purchase my ballerina flats from Primark, which cost roughly £4.00. Although Primark's version of the classic is both comfortable and affordable, they unfortunately rip apart after two or three months. So, I've got high hopes from Zara, as they are a company that is renowned for their quality attire.

Basic Shopper £16.99 reduced from £19.99

The basic shopper has been one of the most sought after bags amongst fashion bloggers across the internet. After receiving the Office City Bag for Christmas, I still didn't have a 'handbag' of my own. I wanted something that was smaller, and yet similar to my Uni bag. This seemed perfect! The original retail price is extremely 'cheap' in comparison to other Zara bags in the range.

 

Basic Button Neck T-Shirt £9.99 reduced from £17.99

Needless to say, the 'basic' range by Zara is perfect for purchasing wardrobe staples. I prefer simplicity over anything, when it comes to fashion. Simple clothes aren't boring, they are timeless. I envisage the shirt above to combine perfectly with black jeans, black ballerina flats, beige mac coat, shopper bag with a dash of red lipstick  on the lips - maybe Mac's sheer 'Lady Bug' lipstick (£13.50).

Box Wallet with Studs £9.99 reduced from £19.99

I have a real problem with purses. They're either too small, or too large! I've been eyeing up this clasp purse for ages. The mini compartments inside make it easy to store your cash and cards. I'm not a big fan of studs, but the 'box' design is very sophisticated.