Pastel Winter Fashion - Take Your Black and Take It Back!

Hello darlings, I hope this winter is treating you well,

Now's the time of the year when all the blogs start to go a bit christmas party crazy, and I'm no different, and I wanted to take the time to write a wee post about one of the BIG winter trends I'm loving this year.

As soon as the windows start to get a bit frosty, everyone immediately reaches for their black coats and black tights and navy, and burgundy. Now don't get me wrong, I can get down with some vampy fashion, but I am loving this winter the explosion of pastel we have seen on the fashion scene.

Baby pink is currently HUGE at the moment, and it works for even the most cautious of dresser, because it pairs so well with grey, you can get away with wearing your dark winter colours, and go for a spot of pink in a scarf or even nails.

I am absolutely in love with these pastel gloves, especially the pink and the mint, a perfect small statement to add to any outfit. Just don't pair the green with green or the pink with pink!

Baby blue also works with the pastel trend, although I find with this colour you have to go big or go home. Rock a fluffy baby blue coat like the picture above, and keep the colour a little off-looking to edge it up a bit. If you go too small or too pretty with this, it ends up looking childish.

Pair muted pastels with an all-white/cream ensemble to keep the colour the centrepiece of the outfit.

This trend is all about soft, feminine, muted colours with a cheeky edge. So think like the girl above and pair a midi skirt with a slouchy jumper and hat to juxtapose it.

I currently love these colours so much that I can see winter pastels spilling out into my home decor, especially christmassy stuff, so I'll just put in below a few pictures which have really inspired the start of my christmas bedroom decorations.

I hope you all are having a lovely week, comment down below on what you current favourite winter trend is!

Abi xx

P.s. I have a sneaking suspiscion that my love for all this stems from my love of 'Frozen', but don't tell anyone!

Ten Trivial Things To Get Excited About In Winter

It's getting chilly again! The mornings are getting crisp, evenings are a bit darker, and you may soon find yourself glumly reaching for your winter coat (unless it's a fabulous coat, in which case you've probably got it hanging on your wardrobe door, just waiting...) There are a lot of big things to get excited about in winter, like Christmas and New Year's, and by the time we're halfway through October there will be so many blog posts about them that you'll be sick of them already, so this is a little list of the most trivial, but wonderful Autumn/Winter things to get excited about.

1. Berry lipstick

Those dark, vampy lipsticks that have been neglected for summer brights these past few months are now looking super sexy and delightful again

2. Expensive coffee


In summer, coffee is just TOO DAMN HOT. It's not even worth pretending that the iced rubbish you can get from Starbucks is better, you know in your heart you'd rather be sipping on a toasty warm chai latte whcih makes you feel all snuggly. Plus, in winter, expensive coffee is allowed, you aren't spending your money on...you know...suncream...

3. Cuddles


Cuddles in summer are quick, fleeting and sweaty. Cuddles in winter are warm, snuggly, and often accompanied by some sort of comfort food.

4. Sequins


Because winter fashion is a lot darker, and it basically becomes nighttime most of the time, suddenly sequins in daywear are acceptable, and encouraged at night. I'm not sure why dressing like a fabulous shiny scaley mermaid is fun, but it JUST IS.

5. Frost


Everything looks so pretty when its all dusted with icing sugar. There's nothing quite like waking up on a frosty morning, especially if you have nothing to do that day.

7. Diets, be gone!


Winter clothes = so much more flattering than summer clothes, meaning it is time to break out the cheese and wine nights again.

7. Pyjamas. And socks.


When did these stop being amazing? Oh right, when it was too hot to breathe at night. Now it's all frosty again, it's an excuse to buy the fluffiest socks you can find. Wear them all day, to get your monies worth, obviously.

8. Wine, so much wine.


In summer, there's a lot of pressure to have 'fun in the sun', which usually means sitting on an English stony beach, with rocks up your bum, whilst every so often dipping your toe in the water, to shriek at how freezing it is. In winter, there is just wine, all the wine. (Bonus points for mulled, tasty tasty!)

9. Luxurious beauty bits


In summer, sitting in your room with a nice candle burning, or spending hours lotioning and potioning yourself seems a little bit like a waste of the sunshine. But a winter rain shower is no better excuse than to light that gorgeous spiced apple candle you've been waiting all year to light again, and indulge in some pamper time. Friends recommended, with maybe more wine...

10. HALLOWEEN!


Okay, maybe not a trivial thing, kind of a big deal. But let's face it, there's no better holiday really, what other event allows you to dress up like a slutty version of a thing of your choice (slutty not neccessary, but it is brilliant seeing things like slutty peppa pigs) and go out in said get-up, and do shots, while children hassle the neighbours for sweets? Sensible policies for a safer Britain, I say.

Have a GLORIOUS winter!

LOVE.

Anxiety - Nine Little Ways To Stop The Worries

Hello lovelies,

I know I haven't written in forever, the work/life balance has been a tad out of whack recently. Either that, or summer fun got the better of me. However, some time away from my blog has given me some perspective of what people really like to read on my blog, with my posts about self-image, fear, and feminism getting A LOT more traffic than anything else. So with this view, I'm going to write about an issue which is very close to my heart, and that is dealing with the illness of Anxiety.

Not many people know anything about anxiety. They think it's almost a made-up illness for people who are just a bit jittery. Little do they know that anxiety can take control of your life entirely, meaning that you're constantly fighting the urge not to panic about the tiniest of things, and when you aren't, you worry about the next time you have a bad panic attack. My panic attacks mean I have missed out on social occasions, doing my best at work, and generally doing everyday things. I won't profess to have the worst case I have ever seen, far from it, I at least manage to live a normal life, and have friends and go out, but I still can go some way to understand what other's go through when they deal with this illness as well. Also, I am by no means a mental health professional, so anything I say in this blog is purely of my own experience, so if it does not apply to you, do not worry or think you must be different, anxiety affects people in so many different ways it is almost impossible to define. However, I'd just like to share a few ways in which I have started to combat anxiety.

1. Get a bike

It seems strange, but riding on your bike offers an element of calm I wouldn't think it would. You are alone, away from pressure and anyone else's view, and a bike offers the protection of having time with your own thoughts to calm down. To those who suffer anxiety from being out alone, especiall at night, a bike means you are faster than anyone walking, and you can stay on the roads meaning no worries of strangers on the street. In the daytime, find a pretty cycle path near you and just take half an hour out to turn the wheels a bit, the concentration of keeping going doesn't allow your mind to wander to worry.

2. Invigorating smells, rather than calming

This seems grossly counter-intuitive, as most people would think for anxiety, the perfect scents to calm down with would be things like camomile, a calming, relaxing scent. I however, have found that once I am in such a worry, a relaxing scent does little to alter my mood, I am too het-up and worried, and my body/mind rejects this recognised idea of calm as something that it deems impossible. I prefer, to smell things like oranges and limes, and maybe even taste something with chilli in it. I know it seems strange, but the striking, pure scent/taste offers up a distraction, something so sweet or sour that it starts to clear my head. Try buying a nice room spray with a citrus note (or get given one by your lovely flatmate, thank you Sophie), or buy some chilli chocolate, and see if it works for you. As I said before, I'm not a mental health professional, and everyone is different.

3. Cut out greasy food

I know it seems like this should be unrelated, after all, a mental problem should have nothing to do with what your body feels like surely? However, I found that really going for healthy food improved my anxiety by a mile, enough that I'm trying to be vegan at the moment because it improves it so much. The connection between mind and body is much more apparent than I think a lot of people realise, and while chips may make you feel better after a teary day, a colourful vegetable casserole will give your body the nourishment it needs so your energy can concentrate on healing your mind.

4. Remember, no attack is forever

When I was recently about to go to a festival, I was freaking out constantly beforehand, what if I had an attack? What if I couldn't find anyone? What if I hated it and wanted to leave but couldn't? I was having panic attacks almost every night. A good friend gave me some stellar advice, to remember that there has never been a panic attack that I have not been able to get over. Panic attacks are not forever, and no matter how bad they are, they will always eventually come to an end, and you are the one who brings it to an end. You are that strong, that you have ended every attack you have had.

5. Download an app which helps with attacks

This is just a little one, but sometimes when you're on the go, you just need a few minutes of calm to help you deal with the day, I really like the app 'Anxiety Free', which is a free app on iPhone, where you can just plug your headphones in and chill for a bit. Alternatively, make a playlist which makes you feel happy and chilled. I'm a bit of an oddball, and prefer fairly upbeat music when I'm feeling worrisome, as it tends to make me excited for the impending activity rather than anxious.

6. Don't rush yourself

Remember, unless you have an absolutely urgent deadline to get to etc., there is no need to rush yourself to feel okay again after an attack, that lunch date can wait, tell them you'll get them a cup of tea to make up for it. Don't force yourself to leave just because your friends are heading out of the door if you aren't ready, simply say that you need a while to calm down, and you will meet them later. Your friends would much rather you are happy and content when you are doing something together, than freaking out because you should have taken more time to deal with the aftermath of a panic attack, or the worries of a possible one.

7. Be selfish

Remember this is YOUR mental health, it is important, and don't let anyone dismiss it. If you need to cancel something to help yourself, then do it. Don't constantly put others before dealing with your anxiety, as you will find it will creep up on you. If anyone is complaining about your problem, try and explain to them what is happening to you. If they still don't understand, they are not worth being friends with.

8. Make an effort to be positive

It sounds obvious, and it also sounds impossible, but I mean the smallest of things. Rather than saying 'Oh it's so horrible and cold' in the morning, think of that nice wooly scarf you haven't been able to wear in a while, and how snuggly it makes you feel. When you are positive, those around you don't see you as a ticking time bomb of anxiety, waiting to panic, and thus, treat you like the normal person you know you are.

9. Get help

If you need it, ask for it. Don't ever sit in silence, there are people out there.


There we are my lovelies, just a couple of little thoughts just in case you are struggling, remember, anxiety cannot define you or anything about you, so be happy, be calm, and love yourself :)

Abi

Curvy is the New Skinny - Just Another Way to Make Us Feel Crap?

Hey Beauties,

Another little serious post, just to mix it up for you. You'd have to be living under a rock to not see this curvy revolution hitting the media at the moment, skinny is now out, and the it-girls are sporting boobs and bums at last, cue Scarlett Johannson and Kate Upton. However, I can't help but notice that this just seems to be another body trend that we mere mortals can only dream of. Sure, we'd all like to think that skipping the gym and eating that extra square of chocolate will give us bigger boobs and a bum, but unfortunately the tummy that comes with it is still unacceptable.

Brands such as Dove are coming out with campaigns like their 'Real Beauty' campaign, which shows 'real' women advertising their brands. However the picture still shows hourglass women, who are still clearly photoshopped!

At least when models ran the advertisements we could tell ourselves that they were models, and they were paid to workout and look good. But these are 'real women', what hope do we have if we don't live up to those images?

Okay, I know what you're going to say, surely it's better to have an ideal that is at least a healthy body type, and not a waif-like unhealthy figure, and yes that is very true. But the fact of the matter is, it is the fact that the ideal is still impossible for some people.

There's a little girl out there somewhere, with a naturally skinny frame, with no sign of a washboard tummy or a perfect waist, who is going to wonder why she still isn't a 'real' woman?

At the end of the day, it's just another goal for us to sweat and slave over, but this time, we're competing against the women around us, rather than the models.

Summer Make-up - Keep it Light Babies!

Dear the loveliest of readers,

Summer weather approaches, and I have to admit, I made a massive make-up faux pas the other day. I was at work sans make-up, and before a meeting rushed to the loos to put my face on, not thinking about the weather. After an entire day of wearing my standard make-up in the sweltering heat, I had a shock when I came home looking like the joker, eyeliner floating halfway down my face, bronzer stuck to one half of my cheek resulting in unsightly lines! Summer weather requires a whole make-up and skincare turn around, so I'm going to write a little post about the things I've found helpful in this weather.

1. Moisturise! Moisturise! Moisturise!

As I have combination skin, it seems to behave differently to everybody elses in the seasons. Most people have dry skin in the winter, but can get away with a simple bb cream in the summer. I however, find that the summer weather really dries my skin out, maybe it's just all the rushing around! So I find that getting an intensive moisturiser and alternating with your normal one keeps my skin in trim! My current favourite is the No.7 Beautiful Skin range, but do let me know in the comments any good ones, as I haven't tried many yet!

2. Highlighter is your best friend.

Nothing looks less summery than a boring boring matte face. Sorry you play-it-safers! Contouring is the new buzzword in beauty at the moment, and it couldn't be easier to highlight your good bits this summer. I've talked about the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish before, but I'll talk about it again! Powder highlighters are infinitely easier to blend for a contouring newbie, and they can take your summer skin to a whole new level. Brush it across cheekbones for glowy glowy fun! I prefer to use a liquid highlighter for the littler parts like my cupids bow and my chin, and you can't go wrong with MoonBeam by Benefit - which is more golden and summery than wintery HighBeam.

3. Stay away from heavy eyes

Summer nights are obviously excused, I won't have my smoky eye evenings taken away! But for a daytime look, a creamy eyeshadow and a good mascara can't do you wrong. Shady winter days are forgiving on dark eyes, but in the light of a summer's day you might give some people a fright. I'm absolutely loving No.7 mascaras at the moment, they have the perfect staying power, invest in a waterproof one if you're a busy bee, you might not think you sweat much, but your smudgy eyes do.

Happy summer beauties!

Abi x

SS14 Favourite Trend: Matchy Matchy Separates

Hello beauties

Do you remember being young and your mum insisting that everything you wore had to be ohso matchy, if that bow in your hair wasn't the EXACT same shade of turquoise as your sandals it just DID NOT WORK. There was always a little bit of pride exuding from me at the exactness of the hues decorating my wee self. But as I grew up, it suddenly became all a bit sad to look in ten different shops because a necklace wasn't 'quite the right colour'. Well, back off ladies, the time has come for the matchy trend to come back in a big way!

The matching separates trend is set to be huge for  this Spring/Summer, and by matching separates I don't mean matching your shoes to your handbag (always fabulous - unless they are yellow), and I don't mean matching your nails to your dress (never - I love a good clashing nail) I mean full on, exact matches on both halves of your body, like you wore a dress that day and just got scissor happy round the waist.

This trend is set to be a massive turnaround from the recent 'awkward and mismatched' trend that's been here all winter, the hipster finally went mainstream and clashing patterns and oversized EVERYTHING suddenly became the norm. However this summer, it's all about the quirk in a slightly more feminine way. Think sixties prints, summer colours, everything high-waisted, quirky sunglasses, and a bold attitude to pull it off.

Here are some of my favourite examples of this really-shouldn't-work-but-totally-does trend:

The monochrome here is perfect for a slightly cooler, more subtle go at this look

Rock the festival vibe in a non-muddy way with a vintage print.

For the more self-conscious, go for the boxy look, gorgeously flattering and soo breezy on a hot day. I absolutely love the way this pattern goes with a tan!

And for the daring - go for a matching jacket to really pop that colour. Wear this accessory-free and with a simple make-up look, the outfit speaks for itself.


This trend is set to be huge, and here are my three golden rules for making it work in these glorious hot months ahead:

1. Fit is key - you want nothing clingy, or you'll look like a spice girl.

Think boxy and comfortable. Items in this fabric should sit against the skin, not hang onto it.

2. Super hot days only. This outfit - unless meticulously planned,

won't work with any old cardigan slung over it. Only for the most experienced of fashionistas.

3. Have fun with those prints, she who dares wins.

Lots of love,

Abi xx

The Horror! Beauty First-World Problems, And How To Solve Them

Hello darlings,

I know, I know, it's been too long, but I have been in a musical! That's a good enough excuse, right? But now I'm back and ready to gab on about the things that make our lives just that little bit more sparkly. Today, a post about something I'm sure we're all familiar with, the famous first-world problem, namely, the beauty ones, and hopefully I can also offer up some tips on how to deal with these dastardly occasions.

1. HELP! MY EYESHADOW HAS SPRINKLED ALL OVER MY CHEEKS!

We all know the feeling, you finish applying the perfect smoky eye, you're practically catwoman as you preen yourself, and yet that last swish of dark eyeshadow manages to litter a fountain of it all over your under-eye and cheekbone area, leaving you with a rather unsightly smudge. Make-up, ruined. But here's how to fix it!

If you're using a non-matte, glow foundation, try and do as much of your eye make-up befor applying any powder, bronzer or finisher. A non-matte foundation tends to be quite slippery, and this means smudges are easily wiped away with a cotton pad or just a finger, leaving you to perfect the top layer with your finishing powder etc.

If you're a matte girl from the get-go, it's a bit harder, but the secret is then within how you apply your eyeshadow. Eyeshadow is much more of a marathon, not a race, (unless you're late!) It's all about the blending and the building, so start slow, don't load up your brush, and smudges should be minimal. Secondly, a good quality brush goes a long, long way. It's easy to get caught up in cheapo brushes, but these are often the ones that drop powder everywhere. The MAC brushes and the 'Real Techniques' ones (found in Boots) are the ones that I have found best. Be warned, they are a little pricey, but look after a brush and it'll treat you well for a very long time.

If all else fails, or you're in a big hurry, a fingertip never drops powder, I won't tell if you won't!


2. NO! My lipstick always manages to disappear five minutes after leaving the house!

Lipstick, what a game-changer. You can go from boring office-worker to utter vixen in five seconds. But what do you do when the lipstick never seems to want to stay put? The golden rule of lipstick is to always provide a base. This means, when you're doing your foundation, don't miss out your lips! Foundation does just that, provides a perfect foundation for other products to build upon it, so use it!


3. COME QUICK! My skin insists on behaving like an angry teenager!

You look in the mirror, you could have sworn you left those hideous puberty days behind, yet your skin still insists on behaving like the skin of a teenager, and the blemishes still reign strong. The solution? If your skin insists on acting like a rebellious teen, treat it like one! We all grow up and then suddenly think we must use 'grown-up' skincare, when really there is no shame on using products fit for purpose. My current favourite blemish-busting product is Visibly Clear's new pink grapefruit daily moisturiser. It works wonders, smells amazing and the pink, stylish packaging is a world away from the usual clinical look of other skincare products of its kind.


4. SOB! My hair just will not stay put on a night out!

Having straight hair (like me), can be a disaster zone of utter flatness, no matter how much primping you do in the house, a quick taxi ride turns it into something more boring than that report that's been sitting on my desk for the past five weeks....I must do that one day.

The solution? Ever wandered around the haircare section of the chemist and spied those tiny little bottles of haircare stuff, and thought, nah, I'll go for the big one? The small ones are there for a reason! While those diddy bottles are great in case you want to test a product first, they are also dinky handbag-sized solutions to all your hair needs! Pick up a baby bottle of hairspray, and as soon as you get to the bar, go into the loos, tip your head upside and let that tiny bottle work it's magic! For a more summery look, get a little bottle of salt spray, or just some root-boosting powder for a more subtle helping hand.


Just remember, at the end of it all, it's just make-up, try not to panic, and where you cannot see a solution, google! You're bound not to be the only one!

I'll write more often now, promise! See you all soon!

Abi x