Hey cats!

It was mine and my boyfriends 2 year anniversary so we decided to have a fun day out! We took a trip into Manchester, grabbed some breakfast at Wetherspoons and then hopped on the bus to the Trafford Centre. We did a bit of shopping, played mini golf and had our very first Five Guys burger experience!

Here's the look I put together. I wanted it to be smart - which is why I chose this Grecian style dress - but dressed down and comfy - hence the baggy cardigan. I also wanted to add a more girly vibe which is why I paired the dress and cardigan with these cute floral pumps. I chose to use this backpack because it was practical and it could stay on me whilst playing mini golf! It's also got lots of storage without being massive, it looks smart and the colour scheme went with my outfit.

I wore a looser fitting midi dress for the extra comfort and room for eating. What I like though is that the lace panel on the waist creates a fitted look without it being that way, and the slight draping over the top half creates the illusion of a bigger bust, which as a petite lady I find helpful sometimes! Lastly the hanky hem being shorter at the front helps to make sure I don't look shorter than the 5ft that I am and the back being longer creates a lovely, flowing effect.

I think the print of this cardigan is what makes it look so comfy and casual, it reminds me of something you'd use to wrap up warm in whilst sat on the porch of a log cabin in a forest by a lake. I have a very active imagination when it comes to clothes and I tend to enjoy wearing clothes more when they evoke a feeling, a daydream or a memory; just like certain perfumes and smells can. I kept the dress plain so that the cardigan wouldn't clash with anything and would become more of a statement piece.

Because the dress was almost a blank canvas I chose my accessories so that they added a splash of colour but weren't too overpowering for the outfit. The floral ring and colourful chakra bracelets went well with my shoes and although the earrings were fairly large, they were a neutral colour which made sure they didn't stand out too much. I then opted for a statement necklace which I thought added to the Grecian vibe.

Perfume may not always be important to everyone else when they combine an outfit but I always love to do this and pick a scent that I think goes with the look I'm going for. Nine times out of ten, typically I'll go for a bottle coloured similar to my clothes. I chose Soft Musk not only because of this but also because it's a light and powdery scent that still lasts throughout the day without having to re-apply. Naturally this was useful for a full day out and I just took the body spray of it with me just in case!

What do you usually wear for a day date? And what's your favourite thing to do? I'd love to know!

Here's to being out and about!

Hey cats!

As I said in my very first post, I want to keep variety in my blog so currently I write posts that I want to write when they spring to mind. Apologies if they do seem a bit all over the place! Anyway, on with the blog post!

Lately I've been trying really hard to get into a better routine with my skincare, and this has been far from easy. Having acne from a very young age and still struggling now at 24 years old I've been through so many routines, so many products and a lot of wasted money which has understandably put me off finding new products and creating a routine for myself. I got into a rut where I just left my skin alone really and probably mistreated it because I figured "well, nothing makes it better when it says it should, so why should I bother at all?". This rut happened because at the time anything and everything would irritate or flare up my skin, there was literally nothing I could do and even make-up couldn't cover it up properly. This made things worse for me as I'm not a very confident person as it is, so to not be able to wear my 'mask' and hide a part of me I hated was very difficult.

I don't want to be back in that place, and I don't want to mistreat my skin either for misbehaving. As I see it now, acceptance is the only way forward for me as well as working with what I've got and being comfortable with that.

So, working with that theory I've slowly been building up a small collection of products I've tried and tested that seem to work for my skin and also in unison with one another. I like all of these products because they're quick and easy to use both on their own or together as a full routine; also none of them are too costly and they all last for a long time even with frequent use. Currently, as I mentioned before, this process hasn't been easy and I'm still not in an everyday routine despite it only taking about 10 minutes or so. It's more so an every other day thing but I always do it the night before a day when I know I'm going to be busy/that is going to be taxing on my skin.

Enough rambling! These are the products working for me at the moment and how I use them before I go to bed:

1. I wash my face and neck with the Ultrabland cleanser, massaging on in circular motions and rinsing off with a warm damp cloth. 
2. A quick couple of spritzes of Tea Tree Water all over to make sure my skin is super calm
3. When my face is dry I pop a tiny amount of Vitamin E eye cream onto my ring finger and pat this around my eyes, focusing on my dark circles
4. I take a pea sized amount of coconut oil, warm this between my hands and then gently massage onto my face and neck, avoiding the lip and eye area
5. After this is use The Kiss lip scrub to get off any dead skin and smooth out my lips
6. I then apply a layer of Vitamin E lip balm and then a layer of the Nivea essential lip balm over the top
7. Lastly if I feel the need I just lightly spray a layer of Avene Thermal Water over my face and neck, this helps make me feel refreshed and again helps to keep my skin calm

Products mentioned: Lush Ultrabland Cleanser | Lush Tea Tree Toner Water | Superdrug Coconut Oil | Lush The Kiss Lip Scrub |  The Body Shop Vitamin E Eyecream | The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Balm | Nivea Essential Lip Care | Avene Thermal Spring Water | Avon Clearskin Pore Penetrating Mask

What's your favourite type of handbag and what are your essentials to have at all times? Let me know in the comments!

Here's to handbags!