Fall Feeling

It's getting crisp out there and daylight is shortening. It can mean only one thing...Autumn is well and truly here. The season of layering, dark hues and windswept hair. What have you added to your A/W wardrobe? I have bought some nice practical pieces- classic coats, textured knitwear and chunky boots. All high street too! And at an awesome price too! There are some real gems out there in Primark, Zara and Topshop at the moment! I am also going darker in my hair colour next week...I can't wait! The blonde highlights have taken a toll during the summer heat and my hair is crying for some much needed tlc!

This weekend was spent with family and friends....celebrating life! Spending time with Ev's Nephew, going to the cinema (I had a hot date with Denzel- go see the Equalizer...it's brilliant!) and gossiping with old school friends. Hope you all had a fantastic Weekend!

OOTD- Wearing American Apparel shirt (here), Topshop Joni Jeans (here), Michael Kors watch (similar here) and Zara boots (similar here and here)

Juice Hit!

Juicing it, blending it, extracting it....It's what we are all doing now to get our daily dose of a vit hit!

Don't be swayed by the fancy smoothie bottles you see in shops! They are laden with sugar! Make your own! Super cheap and cheerful and you will know what EXACTLY goes in to it! Those innocent smoothies or Nestle green juices aren't as great as you might think!

I invested into the Nutribullet early last year and use it at least 5 times a week- and because I buy mostly in season fresh fruit and veg (usually from aldi or newbarn farm and also from my dads garden patch) - my savings now outweigh the cost of the actual bullet (which some people think is too expensive!)

I don't think the bullet is a glorified blender- it blends up Kale better then anything else I have used! And you can make more than just juices and smoothies in it- we have made homous, soups, frozen yoghurt, peanut butter and grounded seeds and oats in it! It's super versatile!

General rule with any of my juices and smoothies I make is the 50/50 rule! 50% leafy greens to 50% mixed fruit and veg! You can also add additional nutrients such as flaxseed, spirulina, oils, protein powders etc to pack in that extra health hit!

My top five juices/smoothies are;

1. The immune booster- spinach, beetroot, pineapple, apple, ginger, cup of water and one tbsp of flaxseed.

2. The antioxidant blaster- spinach, banana, mixed berries, acai/goja dried berries, cup of coconut water (unsweetened version) and mango.

3. The protein booster- banana, nuts or peanut/almond butter, optional protein powder (hemp) and one cup of almond milk. I'm not the biggest fan of protein powder and don't really agree in people using them if your not seriously training. You can get most of your protein from your food intake! But if you do use powders- read the labels! Some can be laden with chemicals! 

4. The cold blaster- kale, carrot, pineapple, one tbsp of turmeric powder, ginseng, and cup of water! Turmeric is great when you have any inflammation! Try buy African origin Tumeric...and I promise you can't taste it! 

5. The treat- we can't always be good, and sometimes we need to satisfy that sweet tooth! One banana, cup of milk, optional cheeky scoop of ice cream and handful of dates! Yummy!

Happy Blending! 

Monochrome Madness

I'm such a sucker for a mono outfit. My wardrobe over the past year has grown darker and a lot more minimalist...I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older or because it reflects my moods lol! Today was one of my sisters birthdays and we celebrated it in one of my favourite Japanese restaurants, Musashi! And because I have had such a mad week preparing for the opening of my stage schools- I really wasn't pushed for glamming up! Yep...shock horror!

I'm wearing;
(Click the links to purchase the items!)

Penny's/Primark trench coat (similar here at Zara, except for a LOT more money), white grandfather collar shirt- Zara (similar here), croc slip ons from Topshop (similar here), H&M faux leather pants (similar here) and mini office bag from Zara (similar here). I'm wearing one of my favourite MAC lipsticks in 'Dark Side'.

Birmingham Bound!

On a night out during the summer (and after one too many drinks...) me and two old friends from college booked flights for a weekend away to go to Alton Towers! This was as spontaneous as I have ever been! A real #yolo moment lol! And yes, I did just say that! 

Trying to keep to a small budget, we rented a car (in future people don't get a 1.1 as going up the hills to the Theme park will be the most daunting driving experience ever!) and stayed in the Holiday Inn Express in Birmingham City Centre! The hotel itself was super clean, and sooo cheap! I thoroughly recommend it, even to do a bit of Christmas shopping during the Winter as it's so close to the Bull shopping centre! 

Alton Towers itself was great, you need to go on their newest ride- 'The Smiler'! I nearly had heart failure lol! My only gripe about the park is the cost of getting in and the fact that you have to buy fast passes to access the rides- if you don't, the queues are huge and you won't get to do them all! In fact- the price of Alton Towers was what my flight, hotel and car rental cost all together which really is a shame! We went out to the GAY district that night- drinks are super cheap and they had pumping tunes in the whole night! I'd love to go back even for a night out on Broad St- which is supposed to have some gems of a nightclub! Anyone ever been out in Birmingham? What did you think of it?

My outfit of the night-

Blazer, skirt, heels and bag (All Zara), Necklace (Xevana) and tee (Topshop)

Back to College

Starting College this month? Here are my top essentials for getting around campus...

Firstly, everyone needs a good rucksack! This isn't school- there is a serious amount of walking between campus. Plus, your never going to find a close enough parking spot so you need all the space for your afternoon lecture books....Grafea do a sick range of leather bags. I love this oversized wool coat by River Island and the fur collar is detachable. A DW watch to keep you on time for your lecturers...trust me...you don't want to walk in a 300 seater lecture late! *Mortifying* A rad looking notebook to 'pretend to take down notes but really doodle'. Chelsea boots to keep your toes warm, 9am lecturers (if you make it out of bed on time...) are sooo cold! iPad air- 'eh...ma, course I need one- I'm taking a class in social media management!'. A travel mug. Oh, you don't drink coffee do you? You will now! A Heisenberg one is just much cooler...And finally a decent pair of headphones- not only to get you pumpin for student night out but the Libary is a LOT louder then its supposed to be and well there will be a time when you have just 20 mins to come up with a 1000 words....

Chelsea Ankle Boots- Topshop

iPad- Apple

Faux Fur Collar Baby Blue Jacket- River Island

Monochrome Leather Rucksack- Grafea

Daniel Wellington Classic Trinity lady- Campbell Jewellers

Heisenberg travel mug- Urban Outfitters

'Don't kill my vibes' Notebook- Urban Outfitters

Beats Studio Headphones- Apple

My beauty regime...or lack of it more like!

I didn't realise my lack of a beauty regime untill I was having a conversation with one of my good friends. She told me about her passion in going into the beauty section in department stores and trying out new creams, make-up and products that were reviewed by trusted and renowned YouTube bloggers. 

When I hit a store, I go straight for the fashion section. Instead, she spends her money on fancy face masks and foundation. And it made me question my own products that I own. Why did I buy them?

Most of the make-up I own, is purely because one of my sisters already bought it and I liked it. In fact, I have the exact foundation, mascara, lipsticks and eyeshadows purely based on what she bought and I then tried and tested! A bit cheeky of me eh?!

I'm not even persuaded by the marketing of a product- or the cute little bottle it might come in?! I just can't fathom to spend loads on a new product and end up not liking it! What a waste! Where with clothes-you can always return them if your not happy with them?!

My makeup routine is quite minimal (I teach six days a week so a shovel of makeup tends to slide right off...), my skin care routine is however reasonably high, but only because I have eczema. So think more non smelling creams and tubs full of aqueous cream! And well my hair routine is so utterly boring! I can't stand blow drying my hair ( I get in such a fluster...) and never seem satisfied with my hair colour or cut! It's just meh all the time!

Anyone else like me?

I'd love to hear what your ruts and recommendations are? Am I the only one that's lazy or do I need to get into a routine to get into the swing of things?

What works for you?