London Fashion Weekend

Yikes another stream of catwalk photos and outfits captured on the cobbles of the iconic Somerset House grounds. Yup I went to London Fashion Weekend! It was my first time at an event like this and what an experience it is! The good, the bad and the ugly took place in this bubble of extravagance and beauty. My Mom and I were in awe when we stepped under the arches and were hit by a tide of women dressed to the nines, huddled under umbrellas and giving everyone 'the eye'. I swear I heard the murmurs of 'Who are you wearing?' fluttering around us. Once we got our bearings, we found our seats at the Trends show and settled down to watch four key trends that'll be adopted by the masses this Spring Summer.

Lace, Luxe Sports, Florals and Metallics. 

So I think as far as losing your fashion show virginity goes, this was a pretty spectacular way to do it. I've never fallen harder for a pair of trousers in my life - Stella McCartney you are a genius. I'm definitely on board with introducing yet more Lace into my wardrobe. However I may take some persuading on Metallics reaching any item other than accessories.

Sports Luxe I can see reaching my own wardrobe soon, as I know I'm definitely becoming quite partial to a pencil skirt teamed with crisp white trainers. 

Florals aren't groundbreaking for a SS14 trend. Heck the streets would look a lot cloudier without this iconic print. Be it bold geometric styles or delicate pastel details, I for one have already dug out my patterns and will be wearing them under my winter coat to try and brighten up this chill.

Once the show was over we rushed to check out the sample sales adorning all of the many rooms littering Somerset House. I was definitely taken in by the bright colours, silks and chiffon that seemed to feature in many designers collections.

Despite falling in love with many pastel coloured blouses, anything in mint and that stunning monochrome dress with the most perfect collar I've ever seen, neither my Mom or I made a purchase. We did however enjoy some 'Beauty Water' claiming to contain collagen to make you younger (it was vile) and an obscene amount of Kinder Buenos in the lounge. All of this was accompanied by plenty of people watching, dodging of sharpened elbows near any rail, and a brutal encounter in the ladies room to rival that of Mean Girls.

My panic over my outfit when attending resulted in me reaching for my monochrome safety net. These Checkered Leggings were £25 from Topshop, as was my much loved Boyfriend Coat, Month Boots and very old, rabbit chewed, Bowler Hat. The Boyfriend t-shirt and Necklaces however were from the home of basics and fad pieces; Primark.

Will you be heading to an event like this next season? Make sure you take your sharpest handbags and enjoy the beauty that is fashion as an art form. 

Lily x

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Lipstick Longevity | The Doughnut Test

I think I've found my blogging niche; doughnut swatches. Yup. I've managed to find a way to test the longevity of a few of my most favoured lip products using sweet sugary goodness. 

There have been a lot of promises from brands to give lasting, moisturising colour, all day long. After having found love in a bold lip, I've built up quite the collection over the last few months. So why not put them to the ultimate test.

From Drugstore to High End I've picked my Top 3 favourite formula's to trial:


Hourglass Opaque Rouge

Rimmel Apocalips

Mac Matte Lipstick

Hourglass Opaque Rouge - Riviera

Before

After

This is probably one of my all time favourite lip products. The formula of this applies perfectly in just one coat. Any more and it will start to go a little cakey. Often I'll apply it at 9am and by the time I leave work it looks near perfect. So I had high hopes for this! As you can see there was some bleeding around the edges and in the middle it went slightly patchy. However I feel that could have been my eagerness to chow down before letting this set properly!

Overall this has a fabulous formula that you can trust to last all day and it comes in a range of amazing colours.After my friend Alice's (aka Bright Town Girl) recommendation I know I need to add the shade 'Icon' to the list! The only downside is they are slightly drying so I'll always layer this over a super moisturising balm after giving my lips a trusty toothbrush exfoliate.

Rimmel Apocalips - Stella

Before

After

Many have likened the Rimmel Apocalips formula to the Hourglass. I own two of each and I happily use either of a morning when running out the door. However whilst I do feel that the Hourglass formula boasts superior longevity, Apocalips has such a moisturising glossy finish that in some respects I prefer it. 

I applied two coats and after a couple of (huge) bites of Krispy Kreme goodness, I could barely see any feathering or fading. Incredible. However I would recommend steering clear of sugar coated things with the glossiness of this!

Mac Matte Lipstick - Diva

Before

After

Oh look it's a deep red, burgundy lip colour - how totally unexpected in this season! Now I know the formulation of Mac lipsticks doesn't promise to last all day, but when wearing such a bold colour you take longevity as a given. I adore this colour 'Diva' and I'm glad I chose to shake off the blogger buzz of 'Rebel' when choosing my lip colour. I find this just has slightly more red in it than purple, which works nicely to make my teeth look whiter than they are.

I applied this without a lip liner (not normally a step I would miss) and used two coats. Post-doughnut; although the pigmentation has faded in the middle slightly, this did not bleed around the edges much at all. The formulation is matte and therefore slightly drying, however I do find this helps the colour stick for longer.

Overall all of the lip products had their good and bad points but generally all put up a very good fight against the doughnuts that stood in their path. I think if I had to choose, on days when my lips need a little more moisture, I'll stick to my Rimmel Apocalips. However on 'good lip days' I have found I would make a selection based more on colour matching to my outfit, over the formulation of these three products, because all three earn a recommendation.

So tell me what are your favourite long last lip products? More importantly, doughnut-wise, are you more of a glazed ring or a chocolate-filled, sprinkle-covered masterpiece?

Lily x

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Casual Sunday Outfit | Floral Trousers

What Sunday would be complete without a trip down to the beach to blow out the cobwebs? Tomás and I took ourselves down to see what was left of the West Pier the other day, and though it was blustery I thought the backdrop was too beautiful not to capture this baggy jumper and 'statement' trouser combo. 

My Fisherman's Jumper was a real steal from Boohoo at £12 and is nicely dipped at the back. My Zara Floral Trousers (I believe these are in the sale currently!) were a purchase a couple of months ago on one of my more daring days. Initially I thought they would be more of a fad piece, that I dug out only on those days when feeling more 'sassy' than just black skinnies. Surprisingly I've worn them a lot, sometimes with plain black tops, but I've also branched out to a Bottle Green Vest Top to pair with it. The cherry on the top of this outfit for me is this Zara Beaded Necklace. The colours pick out the dark floral pattern perfectly and has helped me jazz up a white tee and jeans lazy outfit.

Let me know what your go to cosy Sunday outfit is and how you'd spend your perfect lazy weekend!

Lily x

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Blog Meet Bunnies. Bunnies Meet Blog.

WARNING - PICTURE HEAVY POST.

So as the title suggests I have two very important people I need to introduce you to. My little house bunnies; JJ and Bella. JJ (short for Jasper Junior) is a black and white, Mini Lop who will be 4yrs old in June. I've had JJ since a baby (spot the fluffy photo below) and after nearly 2yrs I was nearing the end of Uni and knew he'd be needing a friend. It so happened that when I browsing Freecycle for furniture, I saw a gorgeous bunny who had had a rough time at her current home with another bunny bullying her and ripping out her tummy fur. Her owners were very accommodating and let me take her in with a giant cage free of charge.

The courting process took only a few weeks before it was easy to see these two had fallen in love pretty quickly! They spend hours grooming one another and chasing the other's tail!

They have huge personalities and love nothing more than running through their tunnel, climbing their castle or chowing down on some Basil, Grapes or Spring Greens. I'll stop waffling now and leave you with a selection of photos!

I think I'll leave it there for now ! No doubt I'll be sharing more rabbit stories in the future! If you are a rabbit fan, my instagram tends to feature their antics heavily so come take a look!

Let me know about your pets and their antics & if you're a fan of rabbits too! I need someone else to witter on about them too! 

Lily x

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Valentines Red | A Dress for £6.99

The Big V is right around the corner. Though I'm not one to believe in one day being any more important to indulge in romantics, I am also not one to shy away from any excuse to give a heartfelt card and grab a beautiful meal with the one you love.

It was Friday afternoon when my pay had finally landed in my account that I took to trawling through my various Wish List baskets. I picked this Red Off The Shoulder Dress from Missguided for, as the title suggests, £6.99! The quality of this dress is amazing for the price. I love the weight in the material and the fullness in the skirt gives such flow to the outfit. 

The décolletage is such a ladylike area to show off on any body shape and I feel it just adds a real elegance to this outfit. I picked this up in a Size 12 which I think is relatively true to size, though right now I'm back on the 10/12 border (woohoo!). Throughout January I have been trying to eat healthier and I've been going to Boxcercise two times a week with Ballet class on a Wednesday.  Four weeks in and I'm feeling my body shape starting to change for the better. (Watch this space for a post on my new found love of cardio!)

I was lucky enough to receive a couple of pieces of coveted Chanel makeup at Christmas from my Mom. Though I've lovingly been using Chanel Les Beiges everyday (yes it really is as good as they say), my Chanel Dragon Lipstick has sat on my dressing table for a special occasion. Valentines is such an occasion I think. The formula is outstanding. Buttery, glossy, moisturising and well the most perfect red in my collection.

What are you planning for Valentines Day? Have you found any amazing pieces online that make Primark look overpriced? Whatever you end up doing this Valentine's I hope you have a lovely time! 

Lily x

Celebrating Chinese New Year | Cooking Dim Sum

 Happy New Year Everyone! It's the Year of the Horse and for those of you who don't know, this weekend I celebrated my roots and took some time to dust off my Chinese pronunciation and cooking skills to celebrate Chinese New Year.

I've been lucky enough to have been brought up by my beautiful Mom who is half Chinese. She grew up in Hong Kong and has always brought me up to hold Dim Sum on a pedestal as far as any delicacy goes. So my boyfriend Tomas and I took to Preston Street in Brighton to pick up a few ingredients and stumbled upon some fantastic, colourful celebrations. Fortune Supermarket is the best place in town to pick up any Asian ingredient you could need and the prices are not all that higher than you would find at Wing Yip (the equivalent of ASDA).

 

 

I started with a staple dish in my usual Dim Sum menu; Fried Beef Ho Fun (apologies Mom this is still the one I can't pronounce). You can pick up a pack of Ho Fun noodles for around £1.25 and with some frying beef steak and veg this alone would be a meal for two. 

I steamed the noodles (if you don't have a steamer just use a colander over a pan of boiling water and pop a lid over it) for around 4 minutes. Meanwhile I lightly fried the beef in a wok before adding the spring onions and then the noodles. Once this had all mixed in, I added Oyster sauce and allowed the flavours to infuse.

Once the noodles were done I filled the steamer with two layers of the dumplings; Har Gow, Siu Mai and Char Siu Bao. In the shortest description I can manage without putting my Mother to shame, Har Gow are beautiful light prawn dumplings in a starch noodle bundle, Siu Mai are pork and shrimp dumplings whilst Char Siu Bao are gooey BBQ pork buns.

I coated the bottom of the steamer pans in a tiny bit of oil to prevent them sticking and these took only 5 minutes or so to cook. In the last couple of minutes I added the Pak Choi on top (please do ensure you wash them throughly as they do tend to harbour dirt amongst their leaves).

 

That's it! A feast that Tomas and I enjoyed in utter silence for the first half of lunch! When Dim Sum is on the table we do tend to put conversation on hold until at least the 4th dumpling and second helping of noodles. This amount of food really is enough for four helpings which I think makes each portion around £4/5. For such a delicious, quick and nutritional meal, this is an absolute bargain!

I think all I have left to do now is wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year, and extend an invitation to my Mom to Dim Sum! I've had enough practice now! 

What's your favourite Oriental food? Will you be doing anything special for Chinese New Year?

Lily x

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