Wednesday Wishlist

The Great Gatsby

Beaded Handbag | Beaded Dress | Shoes | Deco Headband | Necklace

It may be the historian in me, but I adore fashion trends that hark back to a by-gone era. The 1920's is such a beautiful, decadent decade in the sense that women wore such beautiful garments and accessories. I love all of the above items, but the headband is by far my favourite. Regular readers will know how much I enjoy adorning my head with fanciful things. It appeases my child-like desire to be a princess! I am so excited for The Great Gatsby film to come out. I'm hoping I will be able to see it on my Birthday (December 26th) as there is little else open on Boxing Day in North Wales for me to do...besides, I really want to see it because I have a penchant for Leonardo DiCaprio films.

How do you feel about the 1920s trend? Would you buy some key pieces to wear over the festive period especially due to the fanciful nature of them?

Waiting for him

Hello all! 

I am still around, it's just been a really busy time for me and I thank you for sticking with me. So, today I'm going to showcase an outfit I'm loving at the moment and hopefully you can all appreciate the new-style photography in this post. I'm trying to step up my game!

I've been obsessed with my disco pant dupes from River Island recently. I have found so many ways of wearing them. I've actually done a Look Book for my YouTube channel to show how I, a plumper sort of lady, wears them day-to-day. I will link it when it's been uploaded.

 Warehouse Shirt | River Island Tube Pants | Primark Bag | HandM Brogues

Would you ever consider high-shine, high-waisted trousers? I don't like my rounded tummy (it was still there even when I was a size 8), but when paired with looser blouses and tees, I feel they help balance out my silhouette. Otherwise I can look swamped and bigger than I am (thanks 36FF's!). Please, please, please, let me know what you think of this new photography style. Should I keep this up and is it more interesting? I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts. Hope you're all well! 

Nicole x

Hello Terri Lowe Competition Entry

Howdy Partner!

Since I been a little 'un, running around the mean streets of Swansea, I've always wanted to be a bona fide Cowboy. Now, I know what y'all are thinkin'; 'You're a girl!'. Yes ma'am, I am. But that don't stop me wanting to don some genuine boots that a cowboy of the Wild West would be proud of, then mounting a horse and galloping into the sunset. 

While y'all were probably playing with your Barbie dolls, I was playing with my pogs, pretending to be a Mutant Ninja Turtle (Donatello, if anyone's curious), watching Western movies with my grandpappy and riding a horse on the weekends. Every time I got on that horse, I felt alive. So, in order to appease this childhood, and admittedly tomboyish dream, I hope to win Terri Lowe's here competition and finally slip my size six's into the boots they have so long pined over. It would make my inner child so very happy. Above are a selection of the boots that I would consider spending my hard-earned dollars on, should I be a lucky enough son-of-a-gun to win.  

For those wonderin', I do believe that if I were to resemble any of the characters from The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, it would be 'The Good' aka, 'The Man with no Name', aka 'Blondie'. Of course, without his facial hair and chiselled features, all of which I am presently lackin'...and will continue to lack, more's the pity. However, I would use my cowboy boots for good - no robbin' horses or guns, I swear it!

Nicole

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey is just so incredibly awe-inspiring. These pictures simply don't do it justice. In the very first photograph, that's me standing in front of the window to give it some sense of scale (although I'm not standing directly in front of it, which would have been an even better indicator!). It is absolutely enormous. When you walk into the room with that window in, I defy you not to gasp or exclaim 'wow!'. Everyone else around me did too!

This is number three in the blog post series of my summer dalliances. Don't forget that these posts, whilst off the beauty and fashion content normally seen on this blog, are linked to the vlog series currently running on my YouTube channel. The vlog which is partnered with this post (meaning you can actually see the castle via the video footage I took) is linked below, along with the others in the series. Let me know what you think! I'm desperate for some sort of feedback on my YouTube and blog content. Thanks :)

The Black Prince vlog
Chepstow Castle vlog
Tintern Abbey vlog
Raglan Castle Vlog

Chepstow Castle

Following on from my previous post about Chepstow town centre, today's post showcases some of the pictures I took from inside the castle grounds. Chepstow castle is beautiful and if you enjoy that sort of day out, I would highly recommend it. For anyone who missed my previous post, I am running a vlog series on my YouTube channel that shows you some of the pretty and cool places I visited over the summer. I know it's no longer summer, but I thought I would share them with you anyway because if it's dry you can still wrap up warm and throw on some boots and see these glorious places. I hope you enjoyed today's instalment  Next up is the beautiful Tintern Abbey. 

Do you like castles and historical places?

The Black Prince vlog
Chepstow Castle vlog
Tintern Abbey vlog
Raglan Castle Vlog

Chepstow: The Town

Over the summer months when I was back home in Swansea conducting my MA dissertation research, I visited a fair few new places on the rare days I allowed myself some time off. Chepstow is one of the places I visited with my Boyfriend Ben, my mum and my grandmother. As I'm currently doing a vlog series of these summer visits on my YouTube channel, I figured I would share some of the photographs I took from my travels on here too. We visited the town centre as well as the castle, but today's post focuses on the town itself. Next up will be some pretty shots I got of the castle (although I'm no professional). I hope you like them! 

Isn't Chepstow pretty? Do you like visiting new places and taking loads of photos? I would love to see similar posts if you guys have any to link me to :) 



The Black Prince vlog
Chepstow Castle vlog
Tintern Abbey vlog
Raglan Castle Vlog

Statement Necklaces

Anyone who knows me personally, or who has followed this blog or my YouTube channel for some time, will know how much I adore statement necklaces. I feel they can add zing to your look on the days when you don't feel like playing up your make up, or are rushed for time. Not to mention perking up an otherwise simple, dare I say "bland", outfit choice. So, this post showcases some of my very favourite statement necklaces that I own. What's your take on statement necklaces: love, loathe or indifferent? Let me know! 

New Look Necklace - £3 in summer sale!

 

This is a beautiful necklace that the lovely Sarah sent me from Portugal!

This is a metal collar from Topshop. £2 in summer sale!

Curvy Cosmo Column

Following on from my Chewing the Fat post, which lamented the lack of 'in-betweener' girls in the fashion blogging community (as in bloggers tend to be one end of the scale or another: large and curvy, or very slim and model-esque), Cosmopolitan magazine has impressed me by bringing on board a new columnist by the name of Laura Puddy. Laura is much like me in that she has no standard size in clothing; pieces in my wardrobe range from a size 12 to a 16. In H&M I'm generally a 14 in trousers or the like and whilst some tops fit me in a medium, some large barely fit over the boys (i.e., my boobs!). In Topshop and River Island I can generally get into a 12 in trousers, although due to the extreme weight loss I underwent five years ago I have excess skin around my tummy and so I usually have to get a 14 so I don't get a saggy-skinned muffin top, but then they don't fit me around my thighs. Sorry, that's probably too much information for you but I have insisted from day one that my blog will be incredibly honest. After all, you see dramatic weight loss on telly, but rarely do they discuss that the skin does not recede, no matter how tight your abs are, if you've been severely overweight as an adult. Spanx are a good friend to me!

I digress! So, Laura's column will be showcasing her experiences as a curvy fashionista in what most people see as a skinny girls industry. As well as outlining what she's been up to, I believe the column will also show a few fashion pieces which are suitable for those of us that have wobbly bits that we want to hide (that's not to say size 10 ladies don't have bits they prefer to keep hidden, let's try to be fair here!). I have only read her introductory column to date due to workloads, however in that feature she also explains why the pieces she is showing us are good for those with big boobs, bums, hips, thighs, whatever! So even if you're very slim but have a pear shape, you might still get useful tips on how to flatter your shape from Laura. I would like to congratulate Cosmopolitan on taking this important first step and I wish Laura all the best with her column. I for one will be hooked to it, I'm sure - even if I am trying to shift the few pounds I've put on over the last nine months of my MA!

Let me know if you read Laura's column and what you think of it.

Nicole x

5 Beauty Tips Vol.1

I have some tips and tricks with regards to make up, skin care, haircare, etc. that I've picked up either through practice of sorting myself out, or from magazines and interviews with make up artists, dermatologists, etc. So I thought whilst I'm struggling to get any decent content on this blog right now owing to technical problems, not being able to take decent photos as I don't know anyone artistic, or time constraints and MA deadlines, I would take the time to impart these with you. I hope you enjoy these posts over the next couple of weeks (maybe even months as I only plan on posting one of these posts a week and I have a fair amount I think might be useful!)

1. Hairstyles - We all want our carefully quaffed styles to last the day (or night!) but don't be tempted to spray enough hairspray on it to widen the hole in the O-Zone layer. Too much product can actually make hair look limp and affect the style over time- instead use a strong hairspray, such as VO5's Strong Hold Weather Resistant Hairspray, and keep it to three spritzes as this should do the trick.

2. Split-End Quick Fix - If you're a poor student like me and want to try to hold off cutting those split-ends for as long as possible, massage three tablespoons of warm olive oil onto dry hair and wrap in a warm towel for 30 minutes, then shampoo as usual. This should seal the ends temporarily.

3. Instant Lip-Plumper -If you have small lips, you might want to steer clear of darker lipstick shades as this can make your lips look narrower. Instead use lighter shades and use a gloss which should help to make them look plumper.

4. Foundation Match - Most beauty bloggers will have heard this one, but I'm including it just in case! Instead of testing the shade of a foundation on the back of your hand, try it on your neck or chin as hands can be a different shade to our faces, especially if, like me, you use creams with SPF or Sun Screen daily on your face, but not always on your hands (you should, by the way!). If the colour blends in well with the skin on your chin or neck and it's hard to tell where you applied it after a few minutes, then it should be right for you.

5. Moisture Surge - If you are suffering from dry patches, or just general dry skin, then consider using a body oil instead of a normal body lotion as it should be more moisturising, especially if applied when still wet/damp from the shower. I swear by body oils and this method in the winter months!

Hope this was helpful!

Nicole x

Life is for living

Hello, precious! I had a Lord of the Rings marathon yesterday as I was sick, so excuse the nerdyness! Anyway, I haven't been wearing fancy clothes of late as I've been stuck indoors researching and writing, or I have been sick these past two days. So as I haven't been buying any new beauty products recently (I'm poor as I'm doing an MA, as I'm sure regular readers will know!), I haven't a great deal of interest to blog about. Unless, of course, you find nineteenth century British social mobility an interesting topic of discussion? I highly doubt it, as you're likely here for pretty photography, escapism from 'the real world' and to read about fashion and make up, right? Well, today I have nothing to give, but I wanted to write, so this comes under the 'musings' element of my blog title. It's there, and always has been, so it's not cheating ;)

To the point, Nicole! Yes, last weekend a friend of Ben and I (Ben is my boyfriend, for new readers!) had a party for his birthday and we kicked it off with a BBQ at the lovely lake near their house. Despite being spring in North Wales, it actually stayed dry! I thought I would share some one of the many silly photo's that was taken of me that day, so that you can see I do actually have a sense of humour! It might not always come across on here, but people who know me in real life, know me as the clown; always making fun of myself and love to make others laugh. So, here goes! I will have some outfit/make up photo's up over the weekend, I PROMISE! Much love to new followers and those who've supported me for the beginning :)

Nicole x

PS. - Sorry James mate, I couldn't fully crop you out in the background without ruining the photo entirely! Don't hate me. Although this is payback for making me jump out of my skin in Subway!

PPS - My make up looks a MESS in this photo. Please excuse it, I was having a break out and so I had far heavier coverage than I would usually wear. It looks gross. I also appear to have rubbed the make up off above my brow, making it look weird. As I said, this certainly isn't a beauty post, it's merely to make people smile and show that I do have another, more light-hearted, side :)

The Mad Hatter Vol.3

Here I am again with a blog post that focuses on my hat obsession. I hope you've been enjoying this little feature of mine! Please, please let me know what you think of it. I write for myself as I enjoy it, obviously, but I would like people to enjoy the work I do here. After all, editing pictures and writing a blog post does take time, which is precious to me as a postgraduate student! Therefore if you don't enjoy these posts, I'll stop. Anyway, the other posts in the series thus far can be found here and here. Enjoy until next week!

Being a 'Lady' in Debenhams

Pretending to be Russian in T K Maxx

A hat Tim Burton would be proud of

in Accessorize