I have been ridiculously neglecting the blog recently but it's been a bit stressful round here! I've bought some lovely new dresses recently (thank you, sales and ebay!) but with this new job I've been too knackered to take pictures, I MUST get into the habit of taking some quickly before I leave for work because at the end of the day I'm too much of a mess to even consider posing for photos! So again, I'm sorry and I will make more effort once everything has settled down again!

Much love

Hello my lovelies!

Trying to get back into the swing of blogging again, although I can't promise it will be the same as it was when I was at uni - I start my first job on Wednesday and will no doubt take a while to adjust! I will try and blog as often as I can though!

This was taken on Thursday at my bestie's graduation, so of course we took advantage of the opportunity to wander round the Canterbury cathedral grounds. They're SO beautiful and very Hogwarts-esque so you can imagine how excited I was! My man/boy/thing and I were joking about how we'd have to train as teachers and miraculously find jobs at the lovely private schools round Canters just so we could be surrounded by the amazing buildings...

Here you can see the cathedral peeping out behind the trees! I was wearing an H&M maxi dress with a cardie from Mango, and Stephie (in the middle) wore a beautiful Dorothy Perkins dress under her gown.

This was taken outside the cathedral...I'm so proud of all of us and congrats to all the bloggers I follow who've recently graduated! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of what lies beyond us now, I'm actually terrified about starting my new job and entering the real world! I'm also finding it super difficult to find stylish office-wear - what DO non-stick-thin ladies wear to work?? I can't do blouses or shirts because it's impossible to find ones that fit properly, and dresses are so expensive! I'm watching a lot of dresses on ebay at the moment but it's all so confusing, what will suit me, what won't, how can I avoid looking like a hippo wedged into an office chair...sigh! I miss the comfy days of uni already!

How do you deal with the complexities of workwear? Or are you like me, befuddled by the limited amount of nice & appropriate clothes in shops?

xoxo

Many apologies for my recent break from blogging, I've noticed a few more readers - THANK YOU I LOVE YOU - and all I can offer by way of apology is that I've been really busy with job interviews and more recently with graduation! I won't ramble on in the usual way... suffice to say it was unbelievably beautiful, I'm even more in love with Canterbury and I'm very, VERY emotional about leaving! 

-my beautiful heels (that I chickened out of wearing)*before my hair got ruined by the wind*pretty H&M dress*proud mama*posing with Stephie at 

the cathedral gate*smiley graduation face-

If you're interested in make-up and the like, I wore a mixture of Estee Lauder Double Wear and MAC Studio Fix Fluid,  with a bit of Benefit Cha Cha Tint on cheeks and lips, eyeshadow from the Naked palette (including my beloved Half Baked) and Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara to finish. It stayed on all day and night thank goodness!

I shall return presently with some more photos from my time in Canters this week, as well as some work-themed outfit posts...because I finally have a job! Hurrah!

How is your week going? Much love to you all!

xoxo

Hello my lovelies!

I've been talking about doing a post like this for a while and I've finally got round to taking the photos for it! I'm such a fickle make-up user though, so I'll probably do a completely different one in a few months' time! Anyway, these are the products I've been reaching for on a daily basis; I haven't photographed the make-up bag itself as it's a bit of a mess, product spilled all over it and so on, but somehow all these items manage to fit in it!

Face:

I always find my skin feels greasy after I've moisturised, even if I've left it a long while, so I've started putting on the Witch Skincare primer before I do my make-up and it really helps, I love how my skin feels fresh yet matte after applying it! As I've been trying to clear up my skin ahead of graduation (two weeks' time, eeeek!) I've only been wearing concealer and a bit of powder over the top; the Collection 2000 one works beautifully over blemishes while MAC Studio Fix is great for under-eye circles. I mentioned the 17 Pressed Powder in my June Favourites post so I won't go on about that but it is really good considering how cheap it is! I use the Sephora foundation brush to apply my MAC concealer because it blends it nicely and it's also a lot softer than my concealer brush.

Cheeks:

Looking at this you'd think I was a total Benefit aficionado but I'm really not! All three of those are recent acquisitions but I'm starting to wonder whether I should pay Benefit more attention now! I won a discount voucher for ASOS from Caz so I've spent it on a Benefit mascara, but that's really all I own from the brand, I'm more of a low-end make-up fan. I do love Cha Cha tint and the other two are gorgeous too, but I've been using Bourjois Rose D'Or on my cheeks because you can build up a lovely natural flush with it. I also like the very faint shimmer as well!

Eyes:

I don't really need to mention the Naked palette AGAIN, do I? The Primer Potion came with it and fits nicely in my make-up bag even though I don't use it on a regular basis, my lids aren't particularly oily so it's not always necessary. I'm using a mixture of the two mascaras at the moment because my beloved Chanel is drying out and Big Fake Lash helps it a long a bit. The Bourjois Liner Feutre is an old favourite, they've revamped the packaging recently so it's curvier than usual but it hasn't significantly changed the product very much! The slanted eyeliner brush is from Ecotools in Boots and I use it to define my brows. I forgot to add my No7 eyelash curlers to this photo, but I use those every day as well! I can't remember a life before eyelash curlers, haha!

So there you go, I hope this has satisfied the curious among you! I know I love an insight into other people's make-up bags but that's because I'm a nosey parker!

Hello my lovelies!

Today marks a new phase in my life, for multiple reasons...

It begins with some bad news, as I found out yesterday I'd been rejected from the postgraduate programme I had pinned my hopes on so much. Yes, I was absolutely gutted and disappointed in myself; although I'm proud of myself for achieving a high 2:1 it would seem it's just not enough for some people! It's strange because I'm really not used to not getting my own way, partly because I'm spoiled and partly because I'm very determined and work hard to get what I want! Still, I'm trying to look on the bright side and will have to learn to cope without the safety blanket that is full-time education. I'm job-hunting and hoping for the best! I won't lie, the real world is terrifying. I'm scared. I'm lost. I'm confused. But I know I have the ability and determination to find a job, any job, and I WILL cope somehow. Besides, as soon as I start earning I can start saving towards a house and our wedding!
Hurrah!

Next, I've started the Dukan diet with my future mother-in-law as we're both trying to slim down for graduation (and beyond!). I've always been somewhat overweight so it'll be good to lose some of it, but what I really want to focus on is my health and my fitness. Since my chemo and radiotherapy my lungs haven't been firing on all cylinders so to speak, I get horribly out of breath and can barely run for a train, yet alone sustain any kind of exercise. I'm sick of it and I say, no more! I WILL do the Race For Life next year (even if I walk most of it) and I will get back into shape. My new life begins today!

[top: River Island; jeans: Miss Selfridge]

These photos are the very first outfit photos I've taken all month, and the very first ones I've taken in my new home in Essex! They also feature the jeans that will be my diet marker, so to speak. Once they stop cutting me in half when I sit down I'll know I've lost weight! I don't want to lose too much, I'd like to keep my sort-of-hourglass figure but just slim it down a little, if possible!

Have any of you tried the Dukan diet?