May Favourites!

Hi guys! This is my first ever favourites post, and I'm really excited to tell you everything I've been loving this month.

White Sole Cleated Boots - New Look

I saw these boots a couple of months ago and instantly fell in love, however has they were a hefty £30 I was initially put off buying them straight away. I regretted not getting them so much. I couldn't stop thinking about them (yes, my love for them was that bad!). Since discovering them in New Look the first time I never saw them again in any of the stores near me or online! Till one day when I was rummaging through the shoes on the sale racks, I found them!! To add to my delight they were a mere £12 - BARGAIN. I love these boots, they are sooo comfy and definitely on trend. The weather isn't fully ready for everyone to embrace the Spring/Summer sandal yet so they are just perfect for keeping feet warm and dry. 

If there was a negative to these, its the little scuffs that appear on the white  heels, if anyone can recommend how I can keep them looking new and in good condition let me know in the comments please!!

Mini Messenger Bag - TK Maxx (DNUK)

Most bags I have are medium to large in size, I needed a smaller one I could use to nip out of the house with when I didn't need a lot of things to carry around with me. Instead of trying all the usual high street stores that I would normally head to in search of a bag, I tried TK Maxx. I found this satchel/messenger style bag which is DNUK brand, it was £17.99 which was half the RRP price! I use this bag a lot since I haven't been at uni has I haven't needed to carry a lot around with me when going places, I've even used it for going out on a night out with the girls! I think it's the perfect size and the pockets really help to organise all my bits and bobs.

Lipcote

This is a genius product why haven't I used it before?! I love wearing lipstick, but something that prevents me from wearing them all the time is the pressure of reapplying throughout the day and being on permanent alert of any smudging that may occur when eating and drinking. These problems all disappear when wearing 'Lipcote', you simply apply a coat on top of your lipstick and it keeps it in place all day! I can't stress enough how much I love this!! Everyone who enjoys a dark or bright lipstick colour should definitely invest. Well I say invest, but it was only £3 - in my eyes a clear bargain! I bought mine from Primark but it's available in pretty much any store that sells make up such as Superdrug and Boots.

VO5 - Tousled Style Spray

I use this pretty much all the time! I like how it can add texture to my otherwise flat frizzy hair. This spray is also really good as a replacement for hairspray, I spray it on my curls and scrunch with my hand to create a 'messy' tousled effect and it will keep the curls in the same as hairspray would. Its a great product to take away on holiday or when you're in a rush to just spray - scrunch - and go. I bought mine from Boots as part of the '2 for £5' offer on VO5 products. It will be a staple hair product that I'll use continuously throughout Spring and Summer for sure!

Schwarzkopf GLISS Liquid Silk Conditioner 

I religiously use Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioners, but felt like a change this month and tried GLISS Liquid Silk Conditioner. I can honestly say I have noticed a difference in the 'shininess' of my hair! Because my hair is now purple/lilac it can often look 'dull' with no shine to it, but since using this conditioner I feel it has a new lease of life! I highly recommend you change up your shampoos and conditioners, we can often become complacent and buy the same products again and again but its worth having a change now and again to experiment with how your reacts to new products. 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze Body Lotion - Gradual Tanning Moisterizer

I am so so so happy that I've finally found a cheaper gradual tanning alternative to the more expensive St Tropez lotions! The cocoa butter gives a nice even gradual tan and you can see a subtle difference after just one application, I could go on and on with how much I love it! Although, with any fake tan product,  I would recommend you ex foliate before hand and make sure you really rub and blend the moiserizer in to prevent 'streakyness'. The cocoa butter has a smell of chocolate I find which I love, however if you prefer a non smelling tan this isn't for you. I got my 250ml bottle from  Feel Unique for £5.49, they give you 10% off your first order as well as free delivery!

VAMPIRE DIARIES

Ahhhhhhhh I love this sooooo much! Probably a bit too much tbh. I have spent the most of April and all of May TOTALLY obsessing over this programme! I thought at the beggining it was going to be like Twilight, which initially put me off watching it - but its not! I highly recommend people watch this, its so so so so good. Big shout out to Netflix for making it possible for me to connect to my inner vampire hahaha!

And that's it for my May Favorites! Have you tried any of the products I have mentioned? What do you think of them? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

- SJA xo

Holiday Wishlist!

Hey guys!

 The lovely weather we have been having in the UK this week has gotten me extremely excited about my holiday in July with my friends *squeals*. Ahhh I can almost smell the beach and taste the cheap 2 for 1 cocktails!

Having bought a load of summer clothes last year that I didn't wear, I already have the majority of daytime wear ready to be packed up for Tenerife. However. I am a fashion student. Or just a girl (stereotype overload)  so I have had my feelers out there constantly looking at the new summer clothing on-line and in the shops! There is so many items I just have to have for my holiday, here's a few that I may have to purchase. *Convinces self the already half full suitcase will magically grow*

1.) Kimono - I already have a kimono, but I'm telling myself that one isn't enough. When there are so many on the market (long, short, printed, plain, tasselled) why opt for one I say? I currently have a plain black kimono so I would like either a printed or tasselled one, just so it looks a bit more interesting. I think a kimono is so versatile and is definitely the perfect item of clothing to take on holiday. It can be styled casually over a bikini during the day and then worn with a crop top and high waisted shorts at night.  If you take one thing away from this post, it should be to invest in at least one kimono for your holiday!

Here are a couple from Boohoo that I really love:

   

2.) Lace Trimmed Shorts - At first I wasn't too keen on the 'Sports Luxe' trend, I thought it was just glorified gym wear that was irrelevant to fashion. However, I've watched a couple of You Tube look books recently and the shorts have made more and more appearances and I can safely say I'm loving them. You Tuber Zoella did a Spring Haul video here which featured two pairs of shorts that I absolutely loved. I think the light weight material will be perfect to take on holiday looking as equally good during the day and on a night, bonus! A pair of these shorts styled with a crop top in the same colour will make a great co ord outfit, style with some wedges and a statement necklace for a night out.

Here are a couple from Urban Outfitters I've found:

   

3.) Flatform Sandals - These are at the very top of my list!! (other than sun cream of course!) Last year I took some wedges on holiday for on a night, but has there was a lot of walking involved I never got to wear them. My sandals were the go to shoe every night has they were comfy and this was key. However, because I lack in height I felt very conscious of my smallness and didn't feel confident. I am so happy this year that the 'Flatform' has come into fashion as a main footwear trend. These are so ideal and I want loads in different colours!

I've found a few on Ebay, head over there before buying from the high street has you can normally find the same product a lot cheaper:

4.) Round frame Sunglasses - I would definitely feel out of my comfort zone if I wore these at home, but having seen so many celebs wear them at Coachella Festival I have fallen in love with them! A holiday is the perfect time to try something new out that your unsure of wearing. Everyone's too busy having a good time to judge what new accessory your wearing!

ASOS have some really nice pairs:

   

5.) Hat - Learning from my mistake of not having a hat last year and having a difficult typical Shannon situation by ending up with a burn't and peeling scalp, I am definitely grabbing one this year! I don't really know what style to buy, I'm torn between a straw/fedora style and a snapback style. I love the fedora style, but because I have a small head they can usually swamp me *cries*. There is one from River Island that I've seen and it had a relatively small rim, but it was £18 which I think is quite a lot for a hat that I'll wear for one week (or am I just being tight?! haha). 

Here's a snapback floral hat I've found from Miss Guided:

Here's the straw fedora from River Island (found on ASOS):

What do you think of my wishlist? What's on your wishlist for your holiday, or for Summer? Has anyone been to Tenerife before and got any favourite places to visit?? Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks for reading! :)

- SJA xo

Met ball 2014

Hosted by the Met museum in New York, the annual Met ball was honouring 50s designer Charles James this year, by setting the theme 'White Tie & Decoration' to tie in with the exhibition. From this you would expect an array of different pastel shades and big skirts all cinched in at the waist, however there weren't nearly enough of the big ball gowns as expected. 

So after watching the live stream of the red carpet and seeing so many amazing outfits, I thought I'd share with you 5 of the best dressed from the night!

1.) One of the traditional gowns that caught my eye was the Oscar de la Renta dress worn by the fabulous Sarah Jessica Parker! I especially loved the monochrome grid pattern at the back of the dress, it added a nice twist to a classic gown.

                                                  

2.) Rachel McAdams went for a simple approach in Ralph Lauren and didn't follow the dress code, however I do love the simplicity and elegance of the shape! The blush/pink colour also brings me to like this dress a lot more, has I'm really loving this seasons pastel washed out colours. 

  

                                   

3.) Blake Lively stunned in Gucci, the nude/pink embellished dress styled with a glamorous 40s hair do matched perfectly and was definitely my favourite from the night! 

                      

4.) Cara Delevingne rocked in monochrome from designer Stella McCartney, I really love the white chino's matched up with the strappy black cut-out crop top. It was an unexpected arrangement for such a prestigious event and I am in love with her alternative!

       

5.) The ultimate British power couple 'Posh and Becks' didn't disappoint in coordinated outfits, both channelling cream. They looked simple and crisp in their tailored garments, with Victoria supporting her own brand 'Victoria Beckham' in a simple and elegant column dress that clung to the hip then hung loose.

           

What did you think of the looks from the Met ball gala? Do you agree with me or is there anyone I missed out? let me know in the comments!

-SJA xo