All Packed for Paris

So, I leave tomorrow morning with the other girls on my course to Paris. With plans to go to Paris Fashion Week the Louvre and of course go shopping. Before I go I have to do what I hate most and that is packing. I can never get it right, I always either pack to much or too little. Unpredictable weather is also a nuisance so I've made sure I packed lots of easy layers. My suitcase it filled up with cardigans, day dresses and scarves. As well as some nice skirts, thick tights and cosy jumpers. I've also got a black dress and little heels for the evening. I am planning that my trench coat and boots will see me through the trip nicely.

Lulu Guinness Tote Bag

After my recent renewed love for Lulu Guinness I bought this travel tote bag from Harrods for £35. I was in London with my boyfriend and his mates to see Noel Gallagher at the O2 arena who did an incredible gig. We then went to look round the department store the next day planning on doing some window shopping then actually buy anything. But I picked it up spontaneously whilst walking past the luggage section where they had it displayed next to her suitcases. The price is justified for its resemblance to her iconic lip clothes which are sold for a few hundred pounds. It then once unzipped transforms in to this gorgeous tote bag with red lips on either side. I plan on keeping it in my handbag so when I go shopping especially now some shops make you pay for plastic bags I can whip out this tote to carry my things in. 

What's In My Bag

Being a nosy person, I love the features in magazines showing what's in people's handbags to show their daily life essentials. So I have decided to do my own version.

This is the handbag I use on a daily basis. It is Marc Jacobs which I got second hand from shop 'Sign of the Times' in Chelsea a few years ago. Inside I carry my See by Chloe purse which I got in the January Sale at Harvey Nichols. I also have my Filofax which I got from my parents this Christmas. I love the lilic bird pattern and use my diary to check times of lectures and plan my weekends. I also have my pink Blackberry which I have only had for a month but already don't know how I survived without it.

I always carry my little blue i-pod shuffle. I love how cute and tiny it is, so it's easy to have in my pocket and takes up hardly any room. I also have my Jaeger headphones with little crystals on them. In this February weather I always make sure I have fingerless gloves in my bag I have many pairs but at the moments I am wearing these sweet stripy ones. I have a few make-up essentials such as this Clarins moisture replenishing lip balm. It's the best lip balm I have ever come across and I stock up on them at airports to get it tax free. My main essential is my Marc Jacobs 'Lola' roll on perfume. I got a set of 4 of these roll on perfumes in the Summer at Debenhams and I adore them and carry one with me at all times.

Lulu Guinness Wish List

I am currently studying Lulu Guinness as part of my PR project, and it has made me fall in love with so many of her designs. I already own a few pieces of hers including a purple make-up bag from Tk Maxx, a pillow case bought in the sale with a heart tattoo style print. My favourite Lulu Guinness possession are my slippers that were a christmas present from my brother with hearts on them and came in a lovely stripy box. 

But after spending hours on her website I have found so many items I want to own.

I adore this Black Flocked Lips bag that would be perfect for a beach bag at £135 it is unfortunately out of my price range.

This Birdcage umbrella is prefect for me, I love bird cages and bird embellished clothes, jewellery and accessories. It also reminds me of the 60s when girls carried large clear bubble umbrellas.

 

 Staying away from the obvious choice of the lip clutches (even though they are amazing) I think these Black Jewelled Glasses Doll Face handbag are equally gorgeous to the iconic Lip clutch. Also it is much more useable as the black colour will go with anything and it's large enough to carry all your daily essentials in, as for £275 you will want to get a lot of use out of it. 

Grandma's Hand Made Decorations

My Grandma has always been creative, using the classic old 'Singer' sewing machine and doing embroidery and knitting. She spends her time creating cute little things. I remember when I was little she let me, my brother and cousins all choose our favourite things and she embroidered them all on to her table cloth filling it with her Grandchildren's favourite things such as fairies and cats. Recently she has been sewing these little green birds. I have got one hanging on the light in my room, it looks really sweet next to the hearts and butterflies that i've also put around my light.

Midnight in Paris

My new favourite film directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson and Rachel Mcadams is the most fashionable film of the year in my opinion. It is almost like a love letter to Paris showing it's most visited sights. The film references some of the best writers, painters and muse's of our time with the theme of nostalgic. The film explores why we all wish and think we should be from a different era and how the present day never seems as interesting as the past. I find the film very interesting yet it is still a light hearted chick film at heart. I would recommend this film to anyone and I love Rachel Mcadams and Owen in it. Beyond enjoyable.

Valentines Gifts, Thomas Sabo and P.S I love You.

I was very spoilt this Valentines. Since I was in Southampton for lectures I had to have a belated Valentines day. However it didn't make the day lose its edge or excitement. Having a lovely prawn curry cooked for me and watching heartbreaking chick flick P.S I Love You that my boyfriend bought me as part of his gift. He also got me the sweetest pink butterfly Thomas Sabo charm to go on my bracelet along side my feather and dragonfly charms. I hope everyone else had a lovely Valentines and if you had a belated one it really doesn't make it any less special.

What I bought for Valentines. All Saints and Jaeger.

Guys can be difficult to buy for. For Valentines I wanted to buy my other half something different to what I normally get him. I found it hard to stay away from Vinyl's, Dvd's and t-shirts. Luckily I have been looking out for things to get him for a while so managed to pick up some things in the sale so got a really good discount. I chose to give him a mini i pod speaker from Jaeger in a leather box and on a thick silver key ring. I also got him a soft shirt jacket to wear over t-shirts from All Saints.

Topshop Hidden Treasure Nail Polish

I have never tried Topshop nail polish before, but at the desk I couldn't help but fall in love with this gold and green shimmery polis. It was different to all the nail polishes I had seen before and I had no colour like it so I bought Hidden Treasure for £6. I love the shiny finish and its is surprisingly very chip resistant. I will definitely go to Topshop next time I need a new nail polish.

Eylure Kimberley Girls Aloud Fake Eyelashes

I am personally not a massive fan of fake eyelashes. They tend to be tricky to put on and make my eyes look droopy. I find it hard to find a happy medium between looking like a Towie wannabe or them looking so natural that there is hardly a difference to my eyelashes. However these Eylure Girls Aloud lashes stayed on all night and the way it flicks up at the side giving it a feline like flick. I am now tempted to wear more fake eyelashes by Girls Aloud for Eylure.

Topshop Glittery Sale Skirt

In the last of the sale items, when there is only the unwanted items left I found this glittery tight long skirt for only £10 in Topshop. I have tried on so many maxi style skirts but the floaty gypsy like style didn't suit my style or body shape. So I was very pleased to find this skirt that finished a little bit above the ankles so doesn't swamp me.

You can dress this skirt up or down. Wearing black tights underneath, boots with a t-shirt and cropped cardigan to go to the pub or cinema dates. Or with a crop top and heels for night. Normally I would be slightly scared to purchase this skirt as it isn't something I would normally wear, but the sale price tags encouraged me and I am so pleased I bought it. My boyfriend told me it made me look like a mermaid. Since mermaid underwater styles featured on the catwalk for Versace and Giles I decided to take it as a compliment...

Andrea Fullerton Nail Boutique Dot & Flick Nail Art

Another Andrea Fullerton purchase, I love the metallic Silver colour as it's modern and would be great for the evening. However the colour is less versatile so you can't be as experimental and have as much fun with the designs as you would with the Black version. But I did really like the effect and did a lightning bolt design with Barry M nail polish in Navy as the base.

Andrea Fullerton Nail Boutique Stripe and Sparkle

I love nail art. I am proud of my neat long nails so refuse to cover them up in the patterned nail art stickers. So I have had to be persistence with my not so steady hand and do it myself even though I would rather have it done at a Wah Nail Bar. I am currently on the look out for a nail art pen but for now I am using the thin brushes by Andrea Fullerton which I got from my local Superdrug store. The polish is surprisingly long lasting and the brush reasonably effective. I have yet to use the glitter but I did recently attempt to recreate the tuxedo nails that Zooey Deschanel had for the Golden Globes. I used Barry M nail polish for my base coat the Andrea Fullerton brush in black for the detailing. Still a little bit messy but once I get the hang of it I hope to have a neater look. 

My Weeks Wish List

Normally typical 'Wish Lists' consist of extremely expensive designer 'It' items, that I would love to own (such as the entire Ellie Saab collection and Stella McCartney underwear). But I have had to come to terms with the fact that I do not buy my clothes from Net a Porter. So I have created a much more realistic wish list.

1.) Midnight in Paris DVD by Woody Allen- Nominated for many Oscars I could not recommend this film enough, a lovely tale set in the most stylish city with a great cast.

2.) Lancome Doll Eyes Macara- the name and packaging is really pretty plus I adore this beauty brand.

3.) Marc Jacobs, Lola purse spray- This is my favourite perfume and this little compact version with the printed purse is so sweet.

4.) Television box set- I want a fun fashionable series to watch whilst its so cold and wintery outside. Im thinking Sex And The City, Mad Men or My So Called Life.

5.) River Island pink foil pleated mini skirt- Quite different to what I would normally wear but it would be such a good Spring pick me up and is very on trend with its flapper style pleats and is also on trend with its girlie colours.

Melancholia

Melancholia is incredibly pretty yet intense. I planned to go see this film in the cinemas but regretfully missed it so bought it for £12.99 as soon as it was released on DVD. Directed by Lars Von Trier the film is set out in two parts. With beautiful back drops and costumes it was one of the most Stylish films I've seen this year. Kirsten Dunst is one of the better young actress's as she shows emotion but still maintains a sense of realistic subtly. However in Melancholia I found her character irritable and unlikable but her character develops powerfully throughout the film proving it to be a challenging role. However personally for me it was Charlotte Gainsbourg that stood out. I would definitely recommend this film however it is not a light hearted watch with the apocalyptic concept but it still has the love and sister relationship theme, along with a very pretty wedding dress.

 

The Great Gatsby.....And Bo' Selecta.

After going shopping in Southampton with my boyfriend I didn't expect to come back with these two items. The Oxfam Record store is great to have nice long browse, looking at all the artistic covers of David Bowie and Roxy Music. The shop also has a great selection of books where I found this sweet little copy of The Great Gatsby for £1.99. Being my favourite book I am happy to have more then one copy. I love the old feel to it and how it has the name of it's previous owner inside the cover which makes it feel a little extra special. I also decided to purchase an unlikely vinyl (again for £1.99) that probably wouldn't of been snapped up that quickly. My brother when we were younger used to love Bo Selecta and I remember the song Proppa Crimbo coming out and us listening to it all through the holiday, so I thought it would be crime if I didn't buy it for him.