Bedroom Inspiration

If you've been reading lately, you'll know this time in two weeks I'll have moved house & I have so many mixed feelings already, I'm excited to decorate and live somewhere different but at the same time I'm sad to be living somewhere that I'm not used to and basically isn't my childhood home. Although I'm really trying to focus on the positives and I can't wait to redecorate my new bedroom so as you can imagine I've found myself browsing ikea and other shops home departments rather than the aisles of Boots lately & I thought I'd share a few pieces or ideas whilst I went! 

The first thing that's absolutely essential is a new bed and I'm slowly coming round to the idea of a day bed instead as I can store so much in it, either that or a bed with an underneath so I can store plenty of boxes hidden from plain sight. The next thing hand in hand with a new bed is bedding, cushions and bed throws, I haven't quite made my mind up on the new colour scheme but I'm definitely over whelmed by the amount of choice there is! 

Since it's a smaller bedroom I'm moving to, I'm really having to make the most of the space I do have or will have (it's a real ikea sort of job), I'm planning on putting up shelves along the top of the room to store books on, as well as a few candles to make the room smell nice, a few photo frames to hold my most cherished photos & photo albums - something I could never end up having enough of and also some plants to cheer the room up a little! 

I also really want to get a small DVD tower to go between the end of my bed, my TV and my wardrobes which will take up next to nothing space wise and hold a heck of a lot, like I need it to! I'm hoping it'll just fit right in :) I also quite like the idea of having fairy lights along the top of the room or bed (how tumblr right?) to make the room a lot more cosy & im still deciding what sort of light fixtures to get. I also wanted a standing light frame but I don't know if I'll have the room so I might have to settle for a desk lamp instead (minus the desk) 

Another thing I'm really hoping to get is a nice print or two for my walls, I'd especially like a vintage faded sort of print/world map (I'm a true geography student) & a full length mirror so I can check I don't look an absolute state throwing everything on me in the morning whilst I'm half asleep! Also I'll need to find some smaller storage solutions, I'm debating whether to get muji containers for my makeup or not, what do you think, does anyone have them at present? And a few little colourful bowls to keep smaller rings & other bits and pieces stored in :) and that's it, let me know if there's anything I've forgotten for decorating or any nice patterns/colour schemes etc! I don't do very many of these type of posts but I'd love some inspiration! 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo

P.s does anyone have muji storage, or what's the favourite part of your room/decorating? 

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram  

A few new things

I usually enjoy posting my favourites at the end of the month or posting the odd haul or two in between but this time I thought I'd do a mid through the month thing to show all the things I've been loving as of late. I also thought there would be far too many if I left it that long so these are a few of my favourite new things. 

The first thing I did was have a little Paperchase snoop with the intention of picking up a mid year diary/planner as my current one runs out in July and I couldn't cope with the lack of organisation. I was lucky enough to find this aztec printed diary with a week to a page, which is beautiful and has plenty of space & stickers to keep me on track. Since I couldn't just walk out with one thing, its a problem I know this little list book caught my eye, I featured it in my exam post earlier this week and I love it to pieces. The colours are so fresh and spring-like plus the elastic keeps everything from falling out and lets face it, who doesn't want a specific list book to write in? 

I'd also seen a few tweets about the new Topshop beauty range with rose gold packaging so on the day of its release I coincidentally was shopping with my friend and wandered into Topshop, as you do and there were plenty on a cute little display at the front. I'll hold my hands up, anything rose gold and I'm an absolute goner so I resisted slightly although the packing is stunning and only picked up one thing, this gorgeous pastel blue/green colour in the shade 'Boy next door' and its already been on my nails for the past four days without chipping! I also received this gorgeous Iconemesis phone case* in the cat sims feather case design and I adore it, it arrived at a time when my phone case was on its last legs so this is perfect and I've been ever so happy having such a fresh, glossy & high standard case - definitely recommend having a look at their other cases (link). 

Lastly I took a trip to Boots and picked up two of the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipsticks in the shades So Hap'pink, a lovely pink-y shade (top) & Nude-ist (pictured bottom), a natural yet still pink-toned nude. The lasting power is seriously good and gives a lovely finish to the lips even after eating and drinking which I was pleasantly surprised by so I can't wait to wear these more through the spring/summer as there shades that'll carry me through to Autumn again and thats a long way off yet!
So that's everything I've been loving through May so far, let me know if you've tried any of these or what else you've been picking up this month too :)    

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s what topshop makeup or bourjois makeup pieces are a must have?

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram  

Exam Stress & Coping

Luckily this year I don't have any exams but I know plenty of people who are stressing out completely over the thought of the next two/three weeks filled with as/a2 and uni exams so I thought this little post would be a great help in the upcoming weeks! I used to get terribly nervous at school with the pressure of exams and doing well but a few years down the line I've learnt a few things to keep me calmer and less stressed around exam time & if someone had put one of these together a few years ago it probably would have probably helped me a lot! 

1. The most important thing is to keep organised, always find out exactly when your exams are and then make a revision timetable making it as realistic as possible - that way you'll having a better chance of sticking to it. Don't forget to pencil in things you can't avoid like appointments & most importantly sleep and then revise around that. If you do this well in advance, you can even make a countdown on an app or the old fashioned way on your calendar and give yourself more than enough time to write notes AND learn them, cramming last minute is never good! 

2. Make enough to do lists to last you a lifetime. If you need to write a to do list for how many sections you still have notes to write for or if there's something you don't understand and need to ask someone about, write it down, it keeps you on top of everything plus it's ever so satisfying scribbling out what you've completed. 

3. Put your social life on hold and stay off social media, you don't need distracting. This may sound like something your parents would say a lot but really putting two weeks aside to revise is beneficial in the long run, staying off Facebook or snapchat although we all love them, it'll do us a world of good not talking about pointless things instead of studying. Plus the way I see it after the two weeks you've got the entire summer to enjoy it with your friends and you'll know you've done your best in your exams, a win win really. 

4.  Write in blue and keep things pretty. I remember reading somewhere that writing in blue helps you learn things better, it must stand out on the page more, maybe it's phscological but I've definitely wrote all of my notes in blue since and it's seemed to have worked. Also highlighters, colourful post its and cute stationary are also a major motivator, if something looks nicer you're more likely to be drawn to it and important notes wrote on coloured paper or mates often stick in your head better because they stand out more.

5. Don't write too much, it's a thing. Sometimes writing notes seems ideal but know when to stop, usually 30 odd pages later and realise if you keep writing you'll find it impossible to actually learn the information on them. This just comes from looking at your notes and picking out only the real,y important pieces of information, there's no point learning stuff that you don't need, it'll only stress you out more! 

6. Find somewhere quiet. In the run up to exams these days I lock myself in my bedroom, literally and don't come out except for the odd meal break. It's really peaceful, I'm one of those people that needs silence to concentrate so find somewhere quiet to study like a local library - no matter how many times you try to argue you can learn with music on and earphones in, you can't really. 

7. Find out what works best for you. A lot of people (if they're not lucky enough to have photographic memory which I'm always jealous of) write plenty of notes and some people are lucky enough to learn as they do that, then some people re-read their notes and the new information and then there's me who practically reads everything until I've it all memorised and can rhyme it off near word for word. I know this doesn't work for a lot of others but it does for me, if only I'd of known this 5 years ago... Also diagrams can be a great help for learning key points but try & find out what works best and go with it. 

8. Recall things & test yourself. If you're stuck on something or can't remember something completely test yourself by doing the old school, learn, cover and write (or in this case recite the information) ask someone whether it be a friend, other half or family member to test you on it until you get it right. My mums been hassled enough over the years with "can you test me on this?", I'm surprised she hasn't hit me with something heavy just yet! 

9. Don't over panic!  If you set aside the time & learn your stuff for you exam you'll do wonderfully, don't panic or have a breakdown before the exam. You'll be surprised how much comes back to you when you're sitting in the exam hall p.s revising past papers also helps a lot too so you always know what to expect or the layout of the paper but other than that there's nothing you can do - cramming is never the option. 

So there's my exam tips and tricks that I hope come in handy to someone, I know this is length but hopefully it's worth reading if it helps & if you are sitting exams soon, good luck! 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s what're your exam tips and tricks? Are you panicking over upcoming exams? 

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram  

Weekly Ramble #10

It's hard to believe that we're well into May now, where has the first four months of the year gone? Its that time of year when the suns trying to break out, emphasis on the trying and there's a fair few dull days in between but hopefully this summer we might see some sun, fingers crossed! 

As soon as it hits May its the countdown for my birthday with just over a month to go and my mark for halfway through the year and this year just happens to be the big 2 1 & so I'm even more excited than usual! This weeks been a bit of a mix up, although being off Monday for the bank holiday it's felt like the longest week at work yet, I've tried to be a busy bee this week and have somewhat of a social life whilst I can but let me tell you balancing two jobs and a social life is now a good combination.... I did try however! 

At the start of the week I published my room tour post finally, this I wasn't sure whether to post or not but it seems to have gone down a treat so I'm glad it worked out for the better, you can have a nosy here (link). I did manage to sneak in a Starbucks & of course that and a gossip/catch up session with the best friend comes hand in hand and yes, I did have hot chocolate in May because it was so dull and miserable. The good thing about this time of year of course is the flowers in full bloom and this blossom tree shows that, a dull picture but a nice view walking home. I spend all my time at the train platform and this is my view, surprisingly it was sunny on the day I had time to kill and decided to take photos. 

When I woke up this morning I'd a lovely notification from Bloglovin' informing me I'd reached 800 followers which is a crazy amount of people that I've ever so grateful for so thank you! (a longer appreciation post will probably be coming soon). I also posted a spring clothing haul here (link) and my Accessorize bag arrived in the post - its so beaut and I can't wait to start using it! Lastly I managed to sneak in a pizza hut lunch buffet for a catch up with another one of my good friends and it was scrumptious, salad, pizza and pasta all on one plate with unlimited coke, I was more than content! So that's been my week, a sort of busy one, sort of not, all of my photos were taken on my iphone thats why they've gone a little funny when editing but still you get the jist, hopefully next week will be even more fun filled. Let me know how your weeks been or if you enjoyed this :)  

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s I also bought batteries for my camera so back to regular posting and clear photos I come! Has anyone been up to anything exciting lately?

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram  

Spring Haul 2015

The best thing about a change in season without a doubt is the new wardrobe that comes along with it, saying that I also needed a few bits and pieces to wear to work so shopping on payday seemed like a wonderful idea. I'll hold my hands up now and say a lot of the clothes are from Primark with a few other shops here and there but then again who doesn't love a Primark haul. I'm a summer baby so any excuse to wear summery clothes is a massive plus, I just wish we had the constantly warm weather that should be associated with summer.... if we do get it however, I'll be prepared.

Now these purchases have all stemmed from maybe two or three months occasional shopping trips, I think my bank balance would cry if I just went out in one shop and bought it all, in fact I think I would cry too! The first thing I picked up was a jumper from h&m in the sale for £7 (how summery of me) which is really lightweight and a speckled black & white colour, perfect for those nights when the suns gone down. Secondly I picked up a shirt from Primark which is a grey-mauve-y colour, it changes depending on the light but you can never have enough shirts and I think it was around the £6 mark. Then I managed to find this cute little top with elephant prints on it, although it's a crop top it's not that short which I love and it'll go well with jeans, leggings, anything really so in the basket it went too!

The next two shirt / tops I picked up from Primark are identical in style, just different in pattern, I thought it would be a nice change to have an open neck and rolled up sleeves when it's getting warmer but still remain smart enough for work. I couldn't decide between the two and I'm really trying to steer away from my 90% black wardrobe so I picked up the red option as well. 

This is probably my favourite thing in the entire haul or close to second (and second most expensive, around £22 but with student discount a little less and it's so worth it), I inserted a second picture just because the full length one doesn't do the playsuit any justice. It's a paisley print and the colours are gorgeous, maybe not your average summer colours but oh so pretty. This was from he New Look petite range, something I wasn't even aware of and it fits me perfectly which is always a struggle for us small gals and similarly to the shirts it has roll up sleeves. I can see this being a winner both for casual through the day wear or dressing up for going out at night with a pair of heels. I just love it! 

Whilst I was in New Look, to find the petite range I had to walk through the children's section and this kimono just sort of stood out to me - now I know it's children but honestly my mum tried it on and it fits her perfectly, it's not just me so there sizing must be massive, I think this is a 15 years but it's so pretty, did I mention being small has the ocassimal perks? I think it was £10 too so not breaking the bank either and it'll be a perfect cover up in the summer. After New Look I waltzed into Topshop & that never ends well so I tried to restrain myself as best as I could and only walked out with one thing, yes one, I'm extremely proud and it was this stunning playsuit from the petite range again which hugs the top half of me beautifully and has lace around both the arms and shorts - I'm dying for an excuse to go out just so I can wear it, is that bad? 

This pictures a little bit all over the place but I couldn't figure out how to display everything, in the end a floor shot worked. I can't get enough of these running/pyjama shorts from Primark (I always wear them lounging round the house) which are only £4, especially the floral & lace ones, they're so cute and I find myself looking for more every time I'm shopping. I also picked up a bandeau just for comfort, new bras from h&m, a camel & navy striped top from New Look which I can't stop wearing and my first pair of sandals of the year from Primark which were really inexpensive and look so nice. I find myself always reaching for tan rather than black shoes in the summer so I can see I'll get my wear out of them.

Lastly I picked up a few pairs of socks, you know the boring essentials & then this adorable pack of midi rings which I'm sure will keep me going for a while. The jewellery section was far too busy to have a good look but next time I'll be sure to have a peak. So that's everything that I've bought over the past wee while, hope you enjoyed it - I'm just really excited for spring/summer to properly arrive and it to be sunny a lot, wishful thinking I know... And if you've made it to the end I'm sorry but congrats on making it to the end of one of my lengthiest posts! 

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo 

P.s what nice things have you bought lately? Or if you've any links to hauls leave them below, I love reading them

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram  

Revisited; L'oreal Loves

If you're an avid reader of my blog you'll know I've a bad habit of mentioning a product and not getting back to review it until months down the line which is sort of a blessing if you think about it as I'm able to trial & test the product to see whether I really love it or not but lately I'm determined to try and speed up the process a little so alas here's my review of my new favourite drugstore bits and bobs....

The first and probably favourite of mine in regards to the bits I picked up is the L'oreal True Match Foundation - now I know what you're thinking not another review, please no? but I thought it was about time I tried it out for myself after the hype had died down and boy am I glad I did. Although on the pricier end of the drugstore scale around £9/10 (its still not breaking the bank) its by far the best coverage foundation I've found in all my years of scouring Boots' makeup aisles - its a close second to my MAC studio fix and covers all blemishes and spots on the first application!

There's a superb shade range in the collection and you'll be damned if you don't find a close to perfect skin match - I ended up with N1 'Ivory' and it suits my oh so pale skin perfectly. The longevity of this is actually what surprised me the most, it lasted all day on my skin with the occasional once over with a powder brush & without melting off my face, definitely one to reach for on a day you'll be out of the house a lot! I'm also a big fan of the bottle itself, its adorable & it has SPF 17 for those sunnier days that we're experiencing in amongst all the rain.... can you tell I've found my new favourite foundation of the moment?

As for mascara I'm usually loyal & very rarely branch out and try others that aren't L'oreal Miss Manga or Maybelline The Falsies but this time I decided to try out another L'oreal mascara that I'd heard plenty of positive things about, their False Lash Telescopic Mascara in 'magnetic black'. I always think L'oreal packaging looks sleek & classy and this is no different to that, the only downside I'd say is the bristles which don't move all too much and takes a little longer to apply at first but after a few applications its just the same as any other.

It stays on my eyes all day even on the wetter days without making me look like a panda escaping from the zoo and is a breeze to take off at the end of the day, no rubbing for hours here so I'd say its an all round success and I might just have to repurchase it again (and thats saying something because I'm bloody fussy with mascaras)! So thats what I've been loving recently, trialed and tested, hope you enjoyed and if you have any mascara suggestions, please leave them down below:)

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.s what things do you absolutely love from L'oreal?

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram  

Bedroom-Room Tour!

I must have wrote this post already half a dozen times in the past few months and then changed it, deleted it and started again but alas here's the finished version. I always admit to loving lifestyle posts best and its true, bedroom and home decor posts in particular. I think it's just human nature to be nosy and I love getting inspiration from others. Also in the next month or two I'm moving house so this is sort of a post to remember my old bedroom which I'm oh so sad to be leaving behind - so I hope you enjoy! 

The main reason I've never posted a room tour is because a) my bedroom is never tidy b) cluttered beyond belief and c) I've never 100% happy with it, I'm always finding new pieces to add and honestly at the minute the decors a little mix of everything! (excuse the mess). I haven't posted about everything aka my makeup collection or the inside of my wardrobe, I thought that would be a bit much of but if this goes down well I might follow it up with a makeup collection post (let me know if you'd be interested).    

This is the centre piece of my middle shelves (the first is filled with toys from when I was little and the third holds my jewellery box and books). This shelf is probably my favourite though as it houses two photo frames, one including a shot of my friends and I at our formal and the other of the sunset that I took myself. Also there's little bits and pieces scattered about like prints, sunglasses, candles, one of my Marc Jacobs perfumes and of course my favourite thing - my little lipstick collection (its grown a lot since this photo) but these are my everyday favourites that I'm always reaching for and lets be serious, how pretty does that YSL look right at the front? ;)

I'm a lover of everything relating to photography, scenes and prints and this was something I picked up from a little shop in Italy on a school trip a few years back now showing a few of the well known sites & I knew it needed to be placed somewhere where I could see it and think of sunshine & good memories so its taken centre stage on one of my smaller walls.

This is the top of my Billy bookcase, it was a bit of a blank space so I decided to fill it up with a beaut print which is ideal for Spring time and some of my perfume collection. These are mainly celebrity perfumes that I've been bought over the past while. I really need to get through them all, I swear apart from these I've also got another 8 I think, someone needs to confiscate them all. I really love the Burberry perfume and the Taylor Swift, both Wonderstruck and Wonderstruck Enchanted as they all smell incredible.   

This is the top shelf of my Billy bookcase which is currently holding my books of the moment, the odd DVD or two and my Gossip Girl collection - whenever I move I'm really hoping to separate these out and get a DVD tower from Ikea as it would probably be more space friendly. Also anyone who hasn't read any of the Maze Runner books by James Dashner I'd definitely recommend giving them a read - I'm currently reading The Scorch Trials and love it! 

This is my favourite piece of furniture in my room, I originally wanted to get the Malm Dressing table to match the rest of my Malm furniture but because of the radiator in my room it wouldn't have worked, therefore I picked up the Micke desk instead which is a lot cheaper & actually works out way better as theres two separate drawers instead of one huge drawer, I use one for makeup and the other for uni and paperwork bits & bobs, although I could see it becoming two makeup drawers quickly. I also have plenty of room for working and storing things, over on the left is a perfume box, my lantern, flowers, cotton pads and beloved Double Wear and the right is hair bobbles, my pandora bag, MAC quad and of course my t.v is centered smack back in the middle. 

These last three images just show random things around the room like my lipstick crayon collection in a cute little pot which is easy to grab, my mix-matched aztec-y pillows on my bed which somehow work and of course a zoomed out picture of my overall room - felt quite peculiar having a full size photo. So in a series of pictures I've managed to do a room tour of sorts, I've already excused the mess and I probably could have included a lot more photos but next time, I promise there will. It's definitely a different sort of post to start the month but let me know what you think or if you fancy seeing a makeup collection?!

Thanks for reading, Jenny xo
P.s Am I the only one with a messy room, I try to keep it organised but it never works!

   Bloglovin'  //   Twitter  // Instagram