MY A/W UNI CLOTHING ESSENTIALS

With back to school creeping closer and closer, I'm in a position I've never been in before, I'm actually excited to return to 'school' after a long summer, because I am starting my first year of Uni in September! British summer has ditched us in a hurry, which means Autumn is arriving sooner than expected, and that only means one thing- WARDROBE UPDATE.

I've put together what I think will be my uni clothing essentials, (as I haven't actually been to Uni before, obviously) and the things that are on my wish list for Uni and my pending A/W wardrobe update.

COMFY V NECKS

Comfort is the running theme in this essentials list and v-necks are definitely my t-shirt of preference, they are super comfortable and a perfect base for layering in A/W. They also look  effortless when paired with the other items on this list. I love the ones featured above, as sometimes I'd opt for a plain t-shirt like the Burgundy Zara or Grey H&M, or a slogan top like the 'Pretty' Mango one featured above. 

JEANS / JEGGINGS

Jeans are a wardrobe essential and not just for uni! But when it comes to comfort finding the perfect pair of jeans can be key and this is often hard. Personally inUuni I know I'm going to lean away from jeans that are 100% denim and opt for something with a bit more stretch. My favourite jeans for this are definitely the Topshop Jamie's and I love the ripped knee look, but I've also included the black Joni's above as they are pretty comfy too and you can never go wrong with black jeans!

BOMBER / LEATHER JACKET

I couldn't decide whether to include a bomber or leather jacket above as I tend to wear both equally. Most people would argue that a black leather jacket is the one of the  most important pieces to have in your wardrobe, and I agree. But I like to go for bomber jackets when I want a really laid back look, and in lectures or when I'm running errands they will be a bit less restraining than leather jackets. I love the varsity feel of the Very bomber jacket above, if only it had a K, instead of A and could be purchased on a student budget!

FEDORA

OK, I have to admit that the word essential in this post has been misused, as I'm sure you'll live without taking a fedora to Uni, BUT in A/W fedoras can transform outfits and give you a hand when you're having a bad hair day. Camel is a must for my Autumn colour palette and if you are sick of wearing it on your coat (like me, sorry) you can opt for camel accessories like this Camel fedora shown above.

BACKPACKS

This is an item that I actually believe is up there with my most important. I've always been a handbag person, ever since year 7 I refused to carry a backpack to school and I'd always carry a handbag that probably didn't fit half of my stuff. After 7 years of experiencing annoying straps digging into one shoulder, and wet books that couldn't quite fit into my very impractically sized handbag, I've decided that I'm going to have to switch to a trusty backpack. I actually bought the white New Look backpack in the above a few days ago, luckily more and more shops have created backpacks that don't make you look like you about to go on a hike Mount Kilimanjaro.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST... BOOTS

Finally thi A/W essential is the perfect shoe to make sure you have for Uni. Flat Chelsea boots are sooooooo comfortable and go with just about any outfit. The ones featured above are Doc Martens from Union Jack Boots, the thick sole will mean that these are be perfect for all weather conditions and when it starts to get a bit colder they'll withstand the frost. Paired with a fedora, it makes any outfit look far dressier than it is.

What are your Uni or A/W essentials? Are you starting this September as well? Let me know below! Thanks for reading and make sure to follow!

ASOS SAVED #1

striped shirt dress- £27.50                                                 white shirt dress- £32

orange jacket- £22                                                               fringe crop top- £28
'unavailable' black crop top- £14                                   'namastay in bed' grey crop top- £14

'lazy' crop top- £30                                                              lilac shirt dress- £30

black short dungarees- £38                                               v-neck salmon shift dress- £20                 

coral lace swimsuit- £28                                                    'beach please' bikini- £15

white halterneck swimsuit- £18                                      denim skirt- £28

culottes- £13.50

It's pretty upsetting that my saved items list gets more action than my actual shopping basket. Many items journey to the overcrowded, hopeful place that is my saved items and only the lucky make it out to the shopping basket and eventually my wardrobe. Although these may seem like a lot of item these are just a handful of favourites from my (seventy one itemed) saved items, and possible payday purchases.

The whole thing seems quite Summer themed and as you can see from a few of my picks (namely the swimwear and sunnies) I cannot wait for the warmer months along with upcoming holidays. My second skin that is tights are not ready to shed yet with the current temperature so some of these items will definitely have to wait until Spring decides to grace us with its presence.

As well as the super comfy and fun slogan tees I'm loving these shirt dresses, they remind me of a put together extension of my pyjama collection and items that can be thrown on by themselves are always great for lazy dressing days. 

Let me know what your favourite items are from above and the items you've been loving recently, thanks for reading and make sure to follow!

HOMEWARE NEEDS

I tend to throw around and misuse the word need a lot, the post title illustrates this, as I'm sure that we can all survive without copper wire baskets, but I mean come on, look at them! Homeware has become such a huge thing in the last few months, or maybe it always has been and I've just noticed. Whichever, I've been loving homeware pieces, watching homeware hauls and reading homeware related blogposts. Here are a few of my favourite homeware picks at the moment, and even though I still live with my parents I can still dream about how I'd decorate my dream flat right? Or just help out you guys who are lucky enough to live in your own place.

H&M HOME MUG
OLIVER BONAS THREE SET CANDLES
BURGUNDY & BLACK IKEA CANDLE
URBAN OUTFITTERS WALL ART
IKEA PLANT
HOMEBASE WOODEN '&'
H&M HOME SHOWER CURTAIN
ZARA HOME WOVEN TORTOISE BASKET
COPPER WIRE HABITAT BASKETS 
URBAN OUTFITTERS CERAMIC BOWL
OLIVER BONAS VASE
IKEA CUT OUT CANDLE HOLDER
URBAN OUTFITTERS ARROW CHALKBOARD
ETSY TERRARIUM
URBAN OUTFITTERS PHOTO FRAME
OLIVER BONAS COPPER HANGING TERRARIUM

My favourite homeware 'trends' at the moment are all things copper, which have definitely not been lacking in homeware vlogs and blogs as well as marble and white. My favourite pieces above include the shower curtain and the copper baskets, and I couldn't help throw in the Ikea vase because if you don't have this in your room whether you use it as a brush holder, pen holder, or it's original function; a vase, where have you been?!

Let me know below what your favourite picks are and your favourite homeware shops! Thanks for reading and make sure to follow!

TOP OF THE CROPS

It feels like almost months since I've posted and obviously that statement is going to be followed by the obligatory explanation as to why, that explanation is my AS levels. But now that all of my exams are done I am back and this post is all about the summer essential crop tops. I picked out my favourite crop tops on the high street and split them into the essential categories. Regardless of the iffy weather here in the UK, crop tops are going to be a wardrobe essential over the nest few months.

1. The Bandeau Crop- Asos
2. The Baggy Crop- Pull & Bear
3. The Bralet- Topshop 
4. The Long Sleeve Crop- Boohoo
5. The Off-the-shoulder Crop- Missguided
6. The Essential Crop- Topshop 

1. The Palm Print Crop- Topshop
2. The Grid Crop- Boohoo
3. The Eiffel Tower Crop- Urban Outfitters
4. The Sunflower Print Crop- American Apparel 
5. The Gingham Cropped Shirt- Missguided

1. The Surf's Up Crop- Bershka
2. The Run DMC Crop- H&M
3. The Wu-Tang Halter- Forever 21
4. The WOW Crop- Asos
5. 'Surfin' Jammin' Caper Vannin' Crop- Asos
6. Tie-Dye 'Relax' Crop Top- Forever 21
7. Heart (with some random French sentence) Crop- Urban Outfitters

1. The Gold Crop- One Teaspoon
2. The Cut-Out Crop- Boohoo
3. The Glittery Bandeau- Missguided
4. Nicole Scherzinger Fishnet Crop- Missguided
5. The Iridescent Crop- Topshop
6. The Neon Bralet- Oh My Love

Which one of these are your favourite? Let me know in the comments below and make sure to follow me!

LUST LIST | Swimwear

l-r: asos- £30, forever 21- £22.80, nasty gal- £78.47, h&m- £21, american apparel- £61 

This post may seem a tad premature as England is struggling to have consistent spring weather so any signs of summer are definitely not popping up soon. As some of you may know I am going to Zante in Summer (woooo) the thought is getting me through the sea of revision that I have to do this Easter. At the moment I may be more excited for shopping for the trip, than the actual trip but with it being 102 days away (nope I'm not counting at all) I think it is acceptable for me to start browsing the things I want to be stuffed in my probably overweight suitcase! 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

A few years ago the swimwear available wasn't half as vast, interesting and easily accessible 

as it now (in my opinion). With multiple swimwear trends like high-waisted bottoms, neoprene and one-pieces being 'back in' I really do think there is something for everyone. 

The one pieces I included are two totally different styles- one being a bit more daring and the other totally cute. The use of print is incorporated into lots of swimwear, from floral to tropical- like the pineapple bikini. I am also loving the vintage, pin up look of a high waited bikini that I just had to include one,the corally red colour of the one above just drew me straight in, they are great if you don't want to show as much skin, along with the one piece. 

My favourite bikini above is the Triangl Miami Mint bikini (no.6) it's a neoprene material, which is a really popular material at the moment and it means it won't go at all see-through in the water. If you haven't heard of Triangl then check them out I love their stuff. I think with swimwear there are so many unique and adventurous styles out there that I just want them all (the left one in the first picture is UH-mazing) but there are only so many bikinis you need, although saying that, that didn't stop me with coats this winter. 

What are your favourite swimwear styles? What is your favourite featured above? Let me know and make sure to follow me on Bloglovin' or GFC! Thanks!

LUST LIST | If I Was A Rich Girl

burberry umbrella- £285 | marc jacobs watch- £229 | celine bag- £2,124 | givenchy wallet - £330 | whistles jacket- £595 | valentino heels- £1,715 | cartier bracelet- £4,400 | victoria beckham dress- £1,450

*humming Gwen Stefani rn* I have found myself in London quite a bit recently and all of my days out have ended up to be rather oppressing. Wandering around the 'luxury departments' of Harrods and Selfridges has made me internally weep and envy those who can casually stroll into the shop and purchase another Prada bag for their collection.

The items I would be most likely to 'invest' in if I could afford to would probably be bags, shoes and jewellery. I absolutely love the Celine Phantom bag and I admired it from afar in Harrods, you can never have too many bags! I feel with bags and shoes there's not a lot that can replace the original but with clothes (take the Whistles leather jacket for example) similar things for a tenth of the price can be found.

With a purse shattering total of £11,128 for a measly eight items I think I will be sticking to Primark for now. Although I am a bargain hunter I hope to think one day I will be able to treat myself to such items. I guess I  better get revising...

What items would you like from this list? What are your favourite designers! Let me know and follow me if you enjoyed this!  Thanks for reading.

LUST LIST | Nars Needs

I'm just going to address the alliteration central that is the title, when I say needs just know I really mean wants (but that would have ruined the alliteration). I am really trying to curb my spending- my account balance is probably not in the best shape at the moment *tear* but that doesn't stop me from wanting everything!

Most, if not all of these wants are blogger fuelled and I just picked a few out of the endless things I want from Nars (although there a three things that I definitely need to purchase soon!). Whenever I walk past a Nars counter I always stop and internally weep because I can't have everything. 

The main Nars products that I reeeeeally want are their Lip Pencils and although they are £17.50 each I think they would be a really good investment. 

The second one I have seen being featured on numerous blogposts over the past few weeks is the NARSissist eyeshadow palette, this palette has 15 perfect shades and I can definitely see myself using the darker shades in the palette almost everyday. Although parting with £50 for eyeshadows will be extremely difficult for me

The last product that I really want is the Nars Sheer Glow foundation, the first person that I saw really rave about this is Sammi from Beauty Crush and after that I saw a lot of people rave about it. 

What Nars products do you recommend or would like to try? Thanks for reading and please follow me!

LUST LIST | January 2014

New Year, same old me (a compulsive buyer, who always wants everything). I thought about setting myself New Year's resolutions like 'spend less' or 'save at least £50 a month' but seriously,who am I kidding? 

Obviously I will attempt to control my spending as I have a fast approaching holiday that needs paying off, but that won't cut down the long long list of items I have been eyeing up at the beginning of this New Year.

Here are the top ten items (I could remember) that I am hoping to own come the 1st January 2015.

1) MAC Pleasure Bomb- This lipstick  from the Rih Rih Hearts MAC Holiday 2013 collection unfortunately sold out just a few hours after it anticipated release. It can be found on sites such as eBay but trust me when I say the sellers are taking advantage of how sought after this lipstick is, selling it for double, triple the price. Pleasure Bomb is a pigmented fuchsia with a matte finish and I neeeeed it!

2) Canon EOS 600D- During 2014 I hope to really get into blogging and photography is a major part of that. Admittedly I probably don't need such an expensive camera (this is a lust list ok?) but it has all the features I need for cute little blog pictures. Even if I don't get this camera in 2014 I need a new camera. I lost the charger to my current one *crying* and I can't be dealing with my phone camera.  

3) American Apparel Riding Pants- The fact that these trousers aren't sitting in my wardrobe right now is upsetting. I have been wanting them for a loooong while now and it's probably the fact that these would be quite a splurge (£64) that is preventing me from owning them. But I am determined to buy these over the next year!

4) Ciaté Mattnificent Matte Top Coat- Matte nails are a simple but effective 'nail trend' and when it comes to nails, for me, simple is important because any form of nail art I'm hopeless at. This nail varnish allows you mattify any shade of nail varnish you may have sitting in your collection. Hopefully it is worth £12 and I can't wait to try it!

5) iPhone 5s- I really need a new phone but my contract doesn't end until November. A few days ago I cracked my dear old phone which is probably my fault for not putting a case on it *sigh* but cases just annoy me. I don't really have a reason for wanting this specific phone other than because it's the latest iPhone. Ooooo and the gold colour is rather me. 

6) Louboutin Black Pigalle 120 mm- I know this is definitely one of the things I am least likely to get even in a full year and I really don't know how to justify me wanting it other than, who DOESN'T want a pair of Louboutins? 

7) Nars Adult Content Blush Palette- I really want this blush palette, ignoring the fact that its called adult content, it includes shades that can act as a blush, contour and highlight with: Zen, Miss Liberty, Desire and Deep Throat, (I know who the heck names them) ignoring their rather dodgy names all four of these shades are so gorgeous and although £30 is a bit on the high side it's a good deal for four Nars blushes.

8) Benefit Porefessional- I have been in desperate need for a decent primer for a very long time now. Having tried quite a few drugstore ones now with none of them really being that good I am eager to try and find  few high end ones, hoping that I will like one of them. With all the good reviews I have read I am hoping that this will be the one primer that I finally like!

9) Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers- The amount of times I had to check if I had spelt this right ahha, this is one of those products that if I purchased I would blame on many bloggers. This product is so raved about in the beauty/blogging world, and there's no smoke without fire right? For £20 I would hope they do work wonders like many have said.

10) Black Timberlands- Last but definitely not least are these awesome Timberlands. I just want them SO badly and my current (and foreseeable for the next few decades) obsession with black just makes these 100 times better. I just need them, like seriously neeeeed them. Oh and I need more shoes so yeah. 

Right and that is the end of my lust list. Sorry for how long this post is and I hope I didn't bore you all. Happy (belated) New Year, thank you for reading (or skimming) this!

Let me know what products you've been lusting after these past couple of weeks! And if you enjoyed this follow!