My top Four Favorite Nail Polish brands

Hello everyone! 

As you may know by now, I am obsessed and I mean OBSESSED with nail polishes. I recently wrote a post about OPI Alice through the looking glass collection where I touched upon my love for nail polishes. Writing that post made me think about my unnecessarily

large collection ((of polishes)), this oversized collection currently features 7 brands. Throughout many years I have tried many brands and wanted to share with you today my current top four favourite brands. 

OPI

OPI is a new found love for me. When my mother introduced my to the brand, I fell in love with the formula, the colour lacquer creates a gloss finish without even adding a top coat. The OPI formula also lasted a really long time which is perfect! 

Ciaté

When looking for glitter and sparkle I turn to Ciaté. They have the best collection of nail glitter, sequins and caviar in every colour you can think of. Their annual advent calendar features all the glitz and glam a girl could ask for, I seriously can't wait to see what this year's calendar looks like. 

L'Oreal

The cheapest brand in my top four, L'Oreal which is priced at £4.99 has upped their game this year with their polishes. The colours and tones featured in their collection reminds me of Essie's colours and at almost half the price you can buy twice as much! 

Essie 

I always used to treat myself to an Essie nail polish at the end of a University term or after a large deadline. The variety of colours made choosing one so hard. I am also loving their top coat at the moment, its formula adds longevity and shine to a manicure. 

So as you can see I LOVE my nail polishes and always on the look out to try more, so if any of you know of any brands that you love and think I should try comment below as I feel 86 isn't enough polishes for one collection haha! 

See you Sunday,

S  xo 

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Fashion Week Round Up: London and Paris Edition

Hello Everyone,

Fashion month has flown by so quickly, it's been hard to keep up with a round up for each city! But as September has come to a close we thought we would talk about our favourite shows from both the London and Parish fashion weeks (yes, this is us trying our best to make up for our absence last Sunday).  

London Fashion Week: Burberry

Burberry never fails to disappoint! It's been my favourite designer for years and was even my inspiration for studying fashion at degree level. I always find myself looking to Burberry for inspiration and motivation: my dissertation was even written about the brand, so it's safe to say that Burberry is that one show I look forward to season after season. This year Burberry unveiled their first ever 'see-now' 'buy-now' collection, this created so much hype surrounding the show.  To allow customers to buy the runway collection as they see it is pure genius. 

The show itself brought to life the collection and identity of the brand. The live music at the show composed exclusively for Burberry created a theatrical, show-stopping atmosphere. The clothes themselves were as always beautiful: the detailing in the jackets and coats and styling of each outfit well and truly projects the craftsmanship behind the clothes. Once again Burberry created a magical show that embraced all things British. 

Paris Fashion Week: Valentino

With so many amazing shows at PFW, it was so hard for me to pick just one - but the definite stand-out for me (so far) had to be Valentino. (Zuhair Murad, Isabel Marant and Elie Saab were close contenders!)
Full of gorgeous, bright colours, a mix of silhouettes and of course, embroidery, this collection kept it's roots with references to the brand's Italian history and craftsmanship. The collection was inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Garden of Earthly Delights, and I think many will agree by saying this was shown through in the gorgeous range of pieces on show. I personally love the more classic Valentino looks like the delicate dresses shown - the detail of the embroidery and sheer materials gives that essence of Italian romanticism at its finest!
(Images from Indigital)

Have you been able to keep up with all things Fashion Month?! We're definitely looking forward to the Chanel show on Tuesday. What have been your favourites so far?!

S & K  xo

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Favourite Boxsets for a Rainy Day

Hi all!

Autumn has definitely arrived here in Wales, with non-stop rain and the cold starting to creep up on us. Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year but sometimes there's nothing more you want to do when it's pouring outside than to cosy up with a duvet and pop on some well-loved TV shows. I know I'm not the only one!

Here are some of my favourite boxsets that I find perfect for rainy-day viewing.

Friends

I mean, this one's a no-brainer! I've never met anyone who doesn't love this show, and it always manages to perk me up regardless of how many times I've seen the episodes. Not only are the episodes hilarious and have the best cameos, but the characters super relatable. We all know a Pheobe, right?!

Gilmore Girls

As previously mentioned on our Summer Favourites post, I've been super obsessed with this show since the whole 7 seasons appeared on Netflix over the summer. It re-introduced me to a show I used to watch after school and now I don't know how I went so long without watching Lorelai & Rory's hilarious lives and sarcastic comments.

Gossip Girl

Again, this is probably a no-brainer for many of you reading this! This show started when I was a teenager so I was 100% hooked from the beginning, but can re-watch the episodes and not get bored. The lavish lifestyles, the Upper-East-siders' wardrobes, the Humphreys' Brooklyn loft: it's such a different world from many that you can easily get sucked in and binge watch!


Gavin & Stacey

This may not be such a popular choice for some of you, and maybe some haven't heard of it, but this show never fails to make me laugh. It also helps that it's filmed in South Wales, so it's super relatable and I've grown up visiting the places it's been filmed. One of my favourite scenes will always be James Corden and Sheridan Smith rapping to Estelle's American Boy.

 

PLL 

This show is definitely my guilty pleasure. I got hooked from the influence of S and another housemate from Uni who were serious fans of the show from the beginning, which I'm both grateful and maybe not-so-grateful for because I'm now so invested that I can't stop watching! I mean, will we ever find out who A is?!

What are your go-to tv shows to watch on rainy, dull days?
I hope I haven't inspired whole-series binges with this post, but I'm now off to grab a cuppa and get some more Gilmore Girls on the go...

Happy watching!

K  xo

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How to Deal With Homesickness at University

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This week marks the first week of freshers for many across the UK. For many first-time freshers this is an exciting time in your life, your first taste of independence and living away from home. Although this is a very exciting thought it can also cause some anxiety.
I believe that everybody experiences homesickness at some point during his or her first year of University. For some, homesickness can last longer than freshers week. I like 50-70% of UK students suffered from homesickness at the beginning of my University experience, so today I have decided to share with you some tips that helped me overcome my homesickness at University.

The symptoms of homesickness

As well as emotional symptoms like sadness, anxiousness and in some cases depression, homesickness can cause physical symptoms such as tiredness, lack of apatite, lack of concentration, dizziness and headaches.

 Stay in touch with your family and friends 

Keep in touch with your family via phone calls and Skype - this will make the distance feel less. Also social media is a great way to keep in touch with your childhood friends. Create a group chat to share your University experiences with each other.

Arrange for friends and family to come and visit you

Instead of escaping University and the feeling of homesickness, invite friends and family to come and visit you so you can explore your new surroundings together. Organising visits ahead of time so I had a date to look forward to really helped me when I was experiencing homesickness. 

Make your room feel homely

Bringing some home comforts to University will help your room feel more like home. Student accommodation is notorious for being... well basic, so fill your room with photos fairy lights and fun bedding.

But don’t spend all your time in your room

 Although homesickness can make you feel anxious and lethargic, don’t spend all your time in your room. Head out to the communal areas and bond with your flatmates - this will take your mind off your homesickness and make each day pass quicker rather than drag when you're alone in your room.

Experience University as much as you can

 Although you may want to hide away, make sure you fully experience University. Homesickness is only temporary so spend as much time carrying on with your daily life. Spend your days off exploring your new surroundings and making memories that will last forever.  

Finally, don’t give up

Although it may seem like the best option to leave University and choose a different route, (for some it is but don’t make any decisions in the first month or two) but like I’ve stressed in this post homesickness is temporary so don’t make any decision you may later regret.

For me homesickness feels like a lifetime away - it’s been three years since I left home for the first time to head to University. I have now graduated and am living back at home, and trust me I am so jealous of everybody heading to University this month. As I think back at my time at University, the fist few weeks of homesickness does not come to mind, the good times I experienced have overpowered the anxious times. Writing this post I had to think very hard about how I felt as my mind almost forgot about my short time dealing with homesickness.

I hope this post helped with anyone dealing with homesickness.

See you Sunday,

S  xo

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