My New Holy Grail Topshop Jeans

For as long as I can remember I have been inseparable from my Topshop Joni Jeans. They've always been exactly what i've wanted; skinny legged, high waisted & have fitted like a dream. However over the past couple of months i've lost quite a lot of weight and they just started to not fit me like they once had. I tried going down a size in the Jonis but they were just that bit too tight that it made them uncomfortable to wear. It was starting to get me down because I feel like a good pair of jeans is a staple in any girl's wardrobe and although the I could wear my Joni jeans, they were okay on my hips but way too big on the waist and I was forever pulling them up.

So on a recent trip to Westfield Stratford, I decided to bite the bullet and try on some new Tall jeans. In my time of jeans wearing i've been through a couple of Topshop jeans styles, including the Jamies and the Leighs as well as the Jonis, so after reading about each style I decided to go for it and try on the Jamie Jeans. I took in a couple of sizes with me and came out a very happy bunny.

The Topshop Jamie Jeans are described as "versatility at its coolest. A must for the high-rise lover, these jeans have you covered for all occasions." They are very similar to the Joni Jeans in that they're high waisted and a skinny jean, but they don't come up quite as high and they don't have quite as much stretch but they're still super comfortable and these actually fit like a dream. I've gone down a size in these and they really do fit perfectly, although these are slightly thicker than the Joni jeans.

Please don't mind all the creasing, i'd literally just driven home! As you can see they come up high on the waist and fit really nicely all the way down the legs. I feel like this pictures makes the rips look like they sit really funnily on my legs, but I assure you they do actually sit on my knees. Here i'm wearing them rolled up at the ankles but I do also wear them rolled down depending on how i'm feeling that day.

Honestly, they just make me feel really good about myself and I love that i've actually got some jeans that fit me so well. I love them so much I went out and bought them in dark blue, light blue, and grey as well as this ripped pair. So, if you're looking for some new high waisted jeans the Jamie could be your girl.

K|xo

Current Favourites: July

I have not done a favourites post in so, so long. Probably mainly because they're my least favourite Youtube videos to watch, and at that time of the month I tend to just skip past them. However, i'm sometimes partial to reading about a few bits that people are loving at the moment. I don't know about you but I don't swap the products i'm using regularly enough to warrant doing monthly favourites but I have been really loving a few products lately so I thought i'd share.

Lee Stafford Original Heat Protection Shine Mist | Since dying the bottom half of my hair platinum blonde, i've really been trying to look after it and take care of my ends so they don't become too damaged. However, I am quite the heat fiend. I do blow dry my hair once or twice a week and straighten it every time I wear it down. I did have a Mark Hill heat protectant that I was in love with but, unfortunately, they discontinued it - on a side note, why do brands do that!? - so I was on the hunt for a new one. Although something I should address is that more often then not I want a heat protectant that I can use on my dry hair, and you would be surprised how difficult that is to find. I'll talk to you about one i've fallen for next but this Lee Stafford offering is perfect for when i'm fresh out of the shower, short on time, and my hair needs blow drying. I simply spritz this all over my hair, not directly on the roots as not to weigh them down, and then use my hairdryer to get everything styled. It is a bit of a strange one as after you've applied it and you start drying your hair, it does leave a sort of sticky feeling on the hair. This alarmed me, at first, but once your hair is completely dry there is no sticky or greasy feeling left behind, just soft, shiny hair. My locks always feel protected and not at all weighed down when using this, which is amazing for my usually limp, fine hair.

L'Oreal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil for Coloured Hair | I actually used to use this oil probably three or four years ago when I was at university but i'm not really sure why I gave it up! I was browsing the Boots shelves looking for products to help protect my new blonde locks, came back across the Extraordinary Oil and remembered how much I loved it! I still love it just as much now as I did back then. It's such an amazing multipurpose product; I use it on damp hair before blow drying or I use it on the ends of my dry, styled hair to keep smooth and hydrated. Although it's an oil it doesn't feel at all greasy and doesn't weigh my dry or damp hair down when applied. I was a bit worried about using it on my dry ends, but actually it really smooths them down and helps them look a bit tidier, especially just before a trim. Plus, you barely need any product as a little goes a long way so that huge bottle lasts forever.

Batiste Stylist Shield My Locks Heat & Shine Spray | Now, when I do want a heat protectant that I can use on dry hair this new product is what I go for. More often than not I shower and wash my hair when I get home from work and sleep on it damp. So by morning I need a protectant that is super light and doesn't weigh down my locks. Batiste have recently debuted their Stylist range that also consists of a texturising spray, a frizz taming spray, a hairspray, an XXL volume spray and an XXL plumping powder. It's a pretty exciting release, I think, and I have bought a couple of the other products to test out too. So far, this is my absolute favourite of the bunch. Not only does it protect my hair from my straighteners in the morning, it also leaves my hair feeling super shiny and so, so smooth. It really helps to finish the look as well as create it, which I love because frankly multipurpose products always get my vote. It's super easy to spray all over the hair, leave to settle, brush through and then apply your desired heat.

Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Daily Body Lotion with Shea Butter for Very Dry Skin | I raved about the Garnier Ultra-Replenishing Body Lotion in my Getting Summer Ready post, which I still totally stand by, but I also just love this lotion for every day, all over. It keeps my skin in check during these warmer, Summer months when skin is more on show but I also loved it during Winter too, when things were a lot drier. It's just so hydrating and sinks in straight away. You can physically feel your skins hydration for so much longer than any other moisturiser i've ever used too, so I just had to throw this one in here to say that I am still absolutely obsessed with it!

Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Waterproof Mascara in Very Black | Now I am not at all a waterproof mascara kind of girl. The nearest I get to waterproof mascara is using the Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in my everyday makeup routine, but never do I use an actual waterproof formula. However a few weeks ago I took part the a Race for Life Pretty Muddy 5k event which involved a lot of mud, water and getting down and dirty! The girls in my team and I decided to just go for wearing our make up and I took every precaution to keep it in place for the entire 5k, as well as going all out with a bright pink eyeshadow look! Despite getting shot in the face, twice, with a water cannon and soaked while crossing a ford, everything was completely intact at the end of the race - including my mascara. I was super, super impressed with the staying power of this as I know that being waterproof is it's point but I really did get soaked during the race, but my mascara stayed entirely in place, thank goodness. I also don't usually go for these plastic, short bristle sort of brushes but it really lengthened and separated my lashes which I actually really liked the style of.

Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm | This has been a staple product for me for a good year now, and i'm pretty sure i've raved about it repeatedly but I still absolutely adore this product! I use it every day that I wear makeup to get everything off of my face, and I don't have to tug at my skin to get anything off rather it just slides off after an application of this. It also leaves my skin feeling hydrated and silky smooth once i've flanneled the last of it off. I cannot recommend this highly enough, even for you oily skinned girls because it really does do wonders. 

MAC Frost Eyeshadow in Cranberry | A couple of months ago I had a major makeup clear out and gave a lot to friends, as well as chucking a lot of products that probably should have been binned long, long ago. One of the biggest things I decided to get rid of was all of my MAC products. I'd been thinking about it for a long time, but just never bitten the bullet. Now i'm not exactly an animal activist seeing as I openly eat meat and i'm sure many of the other beauty brands I use have sister companies who potentially test on animals, but MAC is a brand that are very open about the fact they test on animals - i'm sure we've all seen the horrific videos floating around the internet - so I decided that i'd just get rid of all my MAC products to friends or very old ones to the bin. I've been living a MAC-free life for a good three or four months but it wasn't until a recent night out that I actually missed a few products. I have repeatedly tried to find a dupe for MAC's Cranberry Eyeshadow but to no avail. There are similar shades out there but there is just always something off, whether it be the finish or the pigmentation, I just haven't found anything that matches up. So, i decided to go into store to purchase a single shadow in Cranberry because I just can't live without it. It hurts my heart and I know I should probably just live without it, but the selfish side of me needs that shadow in my life. The pigmentation is like no other, it blends so seamlessly into any base shadow that I choose and it's amazing for gliding along the bottom lashline too. For those wondering I also purchased Rebel Lipstick as i'm yet to find something I love as much too.

Micheal Kors Medium Selma Bag in Tile Blue | I bought this little beauty on my Orlando trip last August, so she's coming up to being a year old, and I still love her as much now as I did when I bought her. She was everything I wanted and in a very reasonably priced package too. When I purchased her, she was actually considered last season's colour so was on sale in the Micheal Kors store in the Mall at Millennia, in Orlando, Florida. That did not bother me, I fell in love with her as soon as i saw her and that was it, she was packed into her dust bag and was going home with me. The MK Selma bags are some of my favourite and I love it so much i'm hoping I might be able to find an equally beautiful one on my upcoming trip in September. I love how structured they are and although the medium looks quite small, you can fit everything you need in there - although I do like to take a smaller purse with me as not to make her too heavy or misshape her too much. She's wearing amazingly so far and the colour is absolutely to die for. I do keep her mostly in her dust bag when i'm not using her, but I wouldn't say I look after her particularly well and frankly she's still beautiful!

That, my lovelies, is what I have been loving lately. If there's anything you think i'm missing out on or that I simply need to try please do let me know!

K|xo

Chanel Joues Contraste Lumière in 12 Coups de Minuit

Since starting work at John Lewis, over two years ago, i've become quite the Chanel cosmetics fiend. I've always had quite the penchant for the brand but it's honestly been just a little out of my price range but thanks to my JL discount, it made it all the more accessible. So during the past two years i've built up quite the collection of Chanel products. This one, however, I was lucky enough to be gifted for my birthday this year and frankly i'm not quite sure why it's taken so long for me to blog about.

Highlighters are my absolute favourite beauty product. If you haven't met me in person then you probably don't know that I love to layer the stuff on my cheeks and on my brow bone so that I can become some sort of glowing goddess. This one is especially good for those among you that love a slightly more subtle highlight, as it's got very little colour but plenty of shimmer.

I love that this shade is almost a skintone shade, a beautiful peachy dream, that when applied to the high points of your cheeks melts in to leave behind a gorgeous shimmery, glittery glow rather than a whole bunch of colour or intensity. This is great for those days that you want a little something-something but don't want anything too much. I do have to admit that this isn't one I reach for as often as some of my other highlighters, usually it goes between Dior's DiorSkin Nude Air Illuminating Powder in Glowing Pink & BECCA's Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Moonstone, because of this. Like I said before, I really do like to slap on the highlight, but when I want something a little more understated or frankly am going for some classic no-make-up-make-up then this is the perfect way to go. As far as the actual product goes, it applies like a dream and melts into the skin leaving behind no harsh lines and it takes very little blending in. It's super finely milled and works amazingly over a powder or a liquid base, but I almost always use it over a liquid foundation and it applies like a dream.

It was super hard to photograph but as you can see it's very subtle, and you can just about see the beautiful shimmer it leaves behind.

As it's Chanel, it is on the pricey side but frankly you pay for what you get. The product is beautiful, as well as the packaging, and if a subtly highlight is something you're after then I urge you to give this one a try.

K|xo

The Dior Instant Gentle Cleansing Oil

Although I absolutely adore my Clinique Take the Day Off Balm for my make up removal, sometimes you just get the itch to try something else. I'd been binging on skincare routine videos on Youtube, and a lot of people use an oil to remove their make up so I wondered what I was missing out on basically. In the past I had tried the MAC Cleanse Off Oil and hated it, but I had heard great things about this one in particular so thought i'd see for myself.

The Dior Instant Gentle Cleansing Oil can be applied to dry or damp skin, i preferred to apply it damp as it helped to really work it in, and massage it in circular motions all over the skin, including the eyes. It claims to to remove even the most stubborn make up but doesn't actually mention anything about waterproof, and also professes to be removed without leaving any oily residue.

Now, I didn't like it but after my fleeting relationship with the MAC offering it may just be that cleansing oils aren't for me. Despite it's claims, I didn't feel like it removed my make up particularly amazingly. It removed it all after a couple of applications but I like to use a lot of mascara and where my usual Clinique choice has no problem with my lashings of the stuff I just didn't feel like this did as good of a job. Maybe i'm not being fair, but when you've got something you love to compare it to it probably will never stand up to it! It's a fairly liquidy consistency, I know it's an oil, but some can be more of a serum texture but this is definitely an oil which I actually find quite hard to apply but, like I said, some people rave about them. I also felt like although it didn't leave a residue per say, it did feel my skin feeling a little bit tacky and not completely clean. I obviously went in with my cleanser which took away that feeling, but again i'm used to my Clinique leaving me feeling soft and clean.

Overall, it's not a bad product. It does what it says on the tin, I just don't think it's outstanding and, for me, I just have something I prefer. I think maybe i'm not the best person to test this out as I think perhaps oils just aren't my jam, but i'm glad i've tested it out to put my mind at rest if nothing else!

K|xo

My 2016 Memory Jar: Six Month Update

So seeing as it's the beginning of July now, we are officially six months into the year - can we just take a moment for that? Who can believe we're already half way through 2016! - I thought it'd be fun to revisit my memory jar that I posted about at the beginning of the year.

So far 2016 has been a really strange but satisfying year. It started off pretty dull and for the first, probably, three months my little jar stayed empty. I thought about getting rid of it because I never did anything interesting that would mean for anything to go into it and frankly it just proved to me that actually I was quite a boring person. However, something happened about three months in that gave me a kick up the bum to sort myself out, stop coasting and actually live my life - which is what i decided to do. It has been quite a turbulent six months, i've made some absolutely amazing memories so far with even more amazing people but there have also been some very difficult pills to swallow along the way.

I've been trying to throw myself into everything, make plans and basically do everything that I haven't done in the past couple of years. I make myself out to be an exceptionally confident, outgoing person but actually i deal with a lot of anxiety and get nervous really easily which has previously stopped me doing a lot. This year I have vowed to myself to get myself out of my comfort zone and do things, which I can happily say I have certainly been doing

In this first half of the year have done so many lovely things with my friends. There has been very few weeks that I haven't been out for a drink after work with them, or going to the cinema, or going to work out classes, shopping, you name it. It's been so lovely to remember that I should be choosing to live my life and not just sit at home, I do have to say that it has meant getting time to write blog posts has been tricky but it has been more than lovely. I really do have a truly wonderful family of friends around me at the moment, which I feel extremely grateful for.

One of my favourite memories was from my birthday, we went to Vodka Revs to do the weekly quiz, have some drinks and some food, and so many of my friends came out for it. They got me a cake and a lovely card signed from them all and it really made me feel thankful and especially loved. I've also been to London a bunch of times with my friends. I went to visit my friend Lizzie who's at university there and we had a major girls day, filled with afternoon tea and shopping. In April, I went with my friend Savannah, we had lunch and most excitingly went up the Sky Garden which is possibly one of my most favourite places ever. It was beautiful and so lovely to share with one of my best friends.

I have also, very unusually deciding that maybe it's about time I get out there and try dating, which i most certainly have. Very few with a successful ending but it's been really out of my comfort zone to go on dates and put myself out there so i've been proud of myself for doing so. I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to put things out there about people without their consent, but I've actually been very happy with a man once this year which, sadly, did not work out but onwards and upwards. It was a great learning curve for me and taught me a lot about myself, helping me grow and move forward. I've been on a couple of dates, and am happy with where I am on the dating scene right now.

Honestly, i'm feeling very content with life right now. I'm actually thinking about writing a post about being content, so keep your eyes peeled for that one but i'm just very happy i'm going to have this reminder about 2016 because so far it's turning into a really awesome year with so many amazing plans still to come.

K|xo