The Weekly Musing | June WeekFour

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This Week's Web Browsing
I don't know why, but I've suddenly been getting all obsessive over interior design and decor again. Possibly because I've now finished sorting all my stuff out in my room and it's nice and tidy. I think I need to consider getting my own apartment again... Hmm, possibilities.
I absolutely love this dining room makeover on Design*Sponge. Who'd have thought black could be so great!

You can see the rest of the gorgeous photos from this Before&After here.

Did you all catch the latest bit of a amazing-ness over at Charade? You can find Megan's article on How to Find Work That Doesn't Feel Like Work here. I loved this article, and it totally made me rethink my money-earning options for the next year or so. 

Yes Gala, I do want to move to NYC - how did you know?! <3

Atlantic-Pacific is one of my all time favourite fashion blogs. Some personal style blogs can get a little stale for me and I stop bothing to keep up after a few weeks, but this one just hits the spot week after week. I just adored last Friday's post...

As a long term avoider of all things fake tan this has just been making me laugh every time I see it shared around Facebook.

What I did...
Just when you think things couldn't get any more haphazard, oh boy they do. Yeah, I somehow managed to fracture my toe this week by, wait for it... tripping over a coffee table. I don't know how I managed it either. This is usually where I'd add a photo or something but lets' be honest, broken tootsies are a bit gruesome. So let's not do photos of that...

I watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It now might be one of my favourite films ever. Have you seen it yet? What did you think of it? 


So, apart from resting my stupid toe and watching films I also did a little online shopping at Topshop. It's meant to be getting here on Monday, emphasis on the meant to be. I never lose the excitement of getting things through the mail. 

On The Blog

• I wrote about Books I've Read and Hated, and caused quite a stir by daring to mention Wuthering Heights and Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Sorry guys!
• I got excited about my trip to Bristol in December for the Postsecret UK tour. Anyone else in the UK have tickets? 
• We saw some beautiful picture of Salar de Uyuni in Boliva. So worth a peek!
• Continuing with the literary theme, I posts my summer reading list, Eight Books in Eight Weeks. 

Considering I'm all excited about interiors again, would you all be interested if I did a house tour of my humble abode? Please come along and vote on the little poll on Facebook! 

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June Wishlist

1. // 2. // 3. // 4. // 5. // 6. 

I really threw caution to the wind with this one financially. Oh yeah, we're talking break the bank and then some expensive.

The Apple Macbook Pro is the one thing on this wishlist that I am actively putting money aside for. Thank you for all your great advice on this week's blog post and on twitter! Really confident in my choice now. 

I've heard great things about NARS although I've never tried it. This little blush and highlighter duo seems like a great place to start. It's albatross/orgasm and those are the two shades that I seem to hear whispered about most. Might see if I can get a little more overtime at work so that I can justify spending £29 on a blusher (?!)

Zoella blogged about number 3. recently, and she certainly had perfect timing. My skin has gone mental this week, and this Origins Blemish Treatment Gel apparently works wonders. It's only £12 and that's not a huge price to pay for something like this which will probably last me ages. 

Somehow I'm continuing the Zoella theme (really need to read more beauty bloggers...) and I feel like I need these brushes from Shop Louella. I have tried MAC brushed before, and just didn't feel that they were worth the hefty price tag. Girl has to budget y'know!

Yeaah. Budget Shmudget. This keyring from Aspinal of London has been saved on my bookmarks bar for about four months now. I want need it. 

I can live knowing I will probably never own the iconic little black Chanel bag, so long as I can have that little black bag instead. It's from a designed called Tory Burch, which I have to admit I've never even heard of. But I love it. 

I've been searching for the little bag since forever, and I really think I've found it. I think I need to barter a pay rise...


What have you been lusting after this month? 

Eight Books, Eight Weeks

Twenty-Twelve's Summer Reading List 

It pains me to confess something. Before May, I hadn't finished a book from cover to cover in nearly a year. Atrocious, I know. I'm a very very bad English Lit student. 

I had to read Wide Sargasso Sea for a creative writing course I was taking a little while, and I'm hooked again. Thank god for that. I was getting worried about my sanity for a minute there...

 I never fall out of love with literature, but sometimes it just feels like waaay too much effort. However, I've thrown together a little pile of books that I would really like to read the summer and because I'm oh-so organised I've started already. I'm halfway through Caitlin Moran's book; How To Be A Woman and I bloody love it. She's actually laugh out loud hilarious. In fact, I love it so much I'm already getting all excited about her next book, which is out in 79 days... not that I'm counting or anything.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles and The French Lieutenant's Woman are books that I need to demolish for next year's distance learning course, but the rest are there because Waterstones had a buy-one-get-one-half-price sale on. I know I said I hated Tess earlier this week, and so I'm not exactly thrilled to have to be reading it - but as I said then, it's worth another try. 

Have you read any of these? Any good? I think I'm most excited about reading The Book Thief. 

**If you have a summer reading goal, please leave a comment and I'll add the link to the bottom of this post. I'd love to know what you are all reading!**

Wanderlust | Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia

Welcome to the world's largest salt flats. Being over 4000 square miles it also acts as the largest of natural mirrors. Salar de Uyuni was part of a prehistoric salt lake, Lago Minchín, which once covered most of southwest Bolivia. I can't get over how dreamy and beautiful this place is. 

It's top of the list of things to do in Bolivia in the Lonely Planet website, which isn't surprising. What could possibly top this? It's also a bit mental that it's surrounded by desert. 

I didn't even know that this place existed until I saw it in this video a few years ago. I think these videos made me want to travel the world more than anything else and so I just had to share it with you. Amazing.

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Postsecret UK & Ireland Tour

POSTSECRET IS COMING TO THE UK

I swear, I nearly died and went to postsecret heaven when I saw this on the website this morning. I went ahead and bought a ticket for Bristol in lunatic-esque (is that even a word?!) speed. 

It's not until December, so I now have a long stretch of time to be excited for, but still. Thrilled! To celebrate, here are some of my favourite Postsecrets from now and back when...

Wise Words | No.34

I had to feature this. Whilst it may just be about self improvement for the sake of finding a man, for me it was about self worth and self respect. Treating yourself as a work in progress means you don't have to be perfect. 

The people you will attract by being the best version of yourself aren't just going to be a potential boyfriend, but what could be life long friends and potential employers... you just never know! 

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Books I've Read and Hated

... and some that I never finished.

I used to be an avid reader. I would easily demolish a book a day, ish. However, then I decided to study English Literature for A Level. Now, when I find a book that I just don't like, I usually conclude that I'm just not ready for it, will stop reading it and come back to it a few years later. Like, I hated Harry Potter the first time around - now I adore the whole series. 

However when you have to read certain books for a course, and not just read them, actively study them - it's hard luck if it turns out they're books you don't like. I had one hell of a run of books I didn't like through that course and it kinda made me never want to read another book again. So - here's the ones that are guilty of destroying my love of literature. 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I don't like Cathy, she's melodramatic, needs to get over herself and stop complaining about everything. I didn't really like Heathcliff either. It didn't win me over in any way, shape or form. I did not enjoy reading this and I have tried to read it more than once, and I still hate it. This is actually the hate which I feel guiltiest about - because I'm very aware that this is many a woman's favourite book - and I feel like I'm insulting someone's only child by saying the above. I think what made me scoff at this book, above any petty dislike of the characters on my part, was that I'm not a huge believe in the intensity of the love that Cathy and Heathcliff share. Now now, I'm not some bitter anti-love type girl, because I loved The Notebook - and that proves it. It just didn't sit right with me, and I will never ever willingly read this book again. 

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

URGH. Boring. So much description, the storyline was so longwinded and dragged out, I was actually jealous of Michael Henchard in the end, because I certainly wanted to be dead by the time I got to the end of this book. 

Tess of the D'Urbevilles  by (oh wait.. more) Thomas Hardy

Have you guessed yet that I'm not a Hardy fan? 

The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

Now I'm not going be one of those people who would sit here, make twi-shite jokes and bash it by saying 'it's shit'. The reason being is pretty simple - it's not shit. But, yes I still featured it here. There is a very good reason that Twilight has become such a worldwide big deal in my opinion, and that's because it's simple, it's relatable, it plays on young women's fantasies of meeting this mysterious but perfect guy who loves you unconditionally, but you also have  this hot rugged best friend that loves you too. Clichéd love triangles sell. 

The reason that I don't like Twilight, is because the way she wrote this book annoys me. I felt there was nowhere near enough depth to the characters, sure there was a back story but I didn't fall in love with the characters the way I have in other novels. I didn't adore their flaws, their story, their lives and how they intertwined. I felt that the prose was rushed and unfinished, almost like the first draft that hit the office was bound and thrown at Waterstones' "New In" shelf. But that's just me, and I wont be buying a Team Edward t-shirt any time soon. 

Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

I just couldn't finish this book. It was one of the most boring children's books I ever read. I wasn't too taken on The Famous Five books either, so maybe that whole genre, if you will, isn't to my taste. It was like halfway through the book and I realised that I had no idea what had happened. I just couldn't keep my attention on it, I was that bored. Maybe something I can try again one day.

the one that almost got away...

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I was going to include this, because I really struggled to get through this book. I don't know why, I have no explanation but I found it to be a very tedious read. I tried to give up on it so many times but made myself read it because it's a classic and to be honest, I just wanted to be able to say that I'd read it. Looking back on the book once I'd finished it I would've said that it was brilliant, I just wish I'd enjoyed it more at the time.

Any books that you've attempted but just really hated? I'd love to know.

The Weekly Musing:: June Week Three

Anyone else felt like they were drowning this week? Honestly, I seem to have found myself back at my car, soaking through more times than I'd care to remember this week. Urgh, summer already?! At least I didn't attempt any festivals this year. Disaster in the making that one...

This Week's Web Browsing...

• I adored this watercolour dress at Sparkling Footsteps. Ideal. 
• Good advice, exactly when I needed it as usual on A Life of Perfect Days. This one's on getting out of your own way. 
• I warn you, if you are tired or in any way emotional - these pictures will make you cry. 
• Decision made. I really want to meet Gillian Wearing.
• Anyone else given up on summer? Here, start planning ahead with Primark's A/W collection. I actually really love this one.  
• On How to Make a Rental Your Own. Wallpapered panels anyone?!

This Week I Have...

Been sorting my life out! Hurrah!

To cut a very long and complicated story short, I'm going to be staying at home for the next academic year. I'm been having some weird health issues over the last year or so, and all of a sudden, the umpteenth set of test results have miraculously turned up and the Doctors have decided I need an operation. It's not being scheduled urgently but I figured that I wanted to be home in case things took a turn for the worse.  Which they wont, obviously. (Full of reckless optimism, me.)

image via weheartit

In the mean time, I really didn't want to waste this next year out. I want to be completely debt free, and to have actually achieved something. So I've enrolled to do some distance learning courses which I start next week. I am so thrilled that I'm going to be able to do a course and not mess up my working schedule at the same time - I actually feel a bit silly that I never considered this option before. But hey, better late than never right?!

The Journal's Office in Carmarthen

I've also been offered a part time internship at the Carmarthen Journal, knowing the Advertising Editor certainly has it's perks! I have no idea what I'll be doing yet, but whatever it is - it's going to be a great experience. 

Last but not least, it's question time!

Seriously... my trusty Dell laptop is about to die a sad and painful death. It's terminal. 

Now, to Mac or not to Mac? Any recommendations, advice, experiences? I'd love to what your your laptop of choice is and why?

Have a great weekend. fingers crossed for the weather fellow Brits!

June's Purchases

First off, apologies, my dear readers for taking the week off from the blog. I had lots and lots to get sorted (which I'm going to tell you all about tomorrow in the weekly musing) and I really really wanted to do this haul post and couldn't seem to find the time to photograph everything. But here we are!
This is basically everything I have bought in the last month, so through June really, and a little bit of May... That may be just me trying to justify spending so much money, ah well!

**I'd also like to point out that I in no was consider myself a beauty blogger or expert of shampoo and soap, so this is all just my opinion. Enjoy!

This was a prime example of a time where I popped in to get one thing, and then came out with pretty much everything but. I actually went in to get a Body Shop Wild Rose Targeted Hand Oil which Zoe posted about sometime last week I think it was... I have really dry skin around my nails and my nails are in an atrocious condition from work, so I was pretty excited to go buy this. I popped it on, and had a wander around the shop to check I liked it.

I picked up a Dewberry Bath&Shower Gel for £2?! bargain.  It smells amazing and not too sweet, which is great for me.

The Japanese Cheery Blossom Body Lotion was £1 as it is a miniature or sample size, but it smells lovely and clean? Maybe like a floral soap. I definitely has something sudsy about it. 

The Moroccan Rose EDT is definitely my favourite buy out of all of them, it's on sale at £7.0 and is like a spicy rose oil. It certainly isn't heavy but it lasted all day. Perfumes just seem to disappear into my skin pretty quickly but the really lingered. It's gorgeous. I had a hard time deciding between the Moroccan Rose and the Japanese Cherry Blossom, but I was worried that latter was too much of a light, sweet floral. I like slightly heavier scents. 
As perhaps you have guessed, by the time I'd finished debating which perfume to get it was time to check back on how this Rose hand oil was doing. I was not impressed, lets put it that way. It had done nothing but make my skin a little shiny. It didn't leave my fingers oily which was great, but it wasn't in any way moisturising either. Also, at £7.00 it would have been a waste of money.

Instead, I picked up this Hemp Moisture High Balm. It's specifically meant for hands, and it's quite hard, almost like a lipbalm I suppose, but it works wonders. It did exactly what I wanted it to and isn't at all greasy. Happy customer. 

The last time I'd been in The Body Shop before my little shopping spree above was when I bought some Rainforest Moisture Shampoo and Conditioner. The shampoo wasn't too bad actually, it was like an oil, and certainly took it's sweet time to lather up and clean my hair properly but it did feel better for it afterwards. The condition was rubbish though, and didn't seem to do anything for my hair. At about £6.00 a bottle, I was in a fairly bad mood about shampoos. 

I saw these in Savers for £1 a bottle, and I'm not sure if you can really tell from the pictures but they are massive bottles for that price. Also, they're fantastic. Really. I've been so so impressed with them. After about two weeks of use (I wash my hair every other day) my hair had so much more of a natural healthy shine and bounce to it. So these bottles are actually my second round, because I thought I should stock up in case the price went up. 
I think I first used this range when a shine spray came free with a magazine a couple of years back. Anyone remember that? Well, I really liked that and was certainly impressed by these products too. Thrilled.

I very nearly bought these two exact colours from Ciate, because I had a 20% of discount code - but later decided that I didn't really have the money for it. When I spotted these, I had actually been shopping for tights, and the trays of pretty bottles and the £3.50 price tag distracted me all the way from the lingerie section. And it's a good few metres in between those two. And where did I get these lovely bargains? Marks and Spencer. Who'd have thunk it.

Did I mention how much of a state my nails are in because of doing delivery shifts at work? Well after reading so many rave reviews, I opted for OPI's Nail Envy to see if it was any good. I'm going to do a proper review on this with a week-by-week update of how and if my  nails improve. But anyway... I clearly didn't read the description properly on eBay because I was pretty perplexed to receive this ridiculously miniature bottle of it. I popped it next to a full size one to show the difference! At least it was cheap...
(The yellow polish is Lemonade Stand by Your Man)

This primer is a blatant rip off of the "that gal" one by Benefit, but works just as well if you ask me. I don't remember 'that gal' doing anything fabulous for my skin, but "prime it" just smooths out all the rough edges so-to-speak. It also does a much better job of helping my foundation stay on that moisturiser does. It was also £1. No joke. It from a store called The Factory Shop, and they have lots of cheap cosmetic rip-offs. Sorted. 
The little Nail Varnish Remover wipes were like £2 from Topshop. They are lovely to use and are now another thing rattling around in my handbag.

This photo is going to make me look a little obsessed. 

The chocolate is for a friend, so I haven't tried it. But I'm getting real tempted to go back for another bar just so I can sample some. I was won over by sea-salt chocolate so maybe this will be just as good?  It was from Topshop of all places and was £3.

The notebooks are most definitely mind though. They're from Wild&Wolf and just so damn cute! I love mini-notebooks, and I love the contrasting colours on these. Two are lined and two are plain. I just have no idea what I'm going to put in the yet. Oh dear... But then we always need notebooks, right?!

I did, uh, buy some clothes as well. But I'm going to do some scary outfit posts on Saturday so you can see those properly. I say scary because you're going to be horrified by how chubby I am - and I'm scared because said chubbiness is going on the internets. 

Have you bought anything interesting this month? Link me your purchases below, because I'm a nosy cow. Oh, and does anyone else like Marmite?!

Wise Words | No.33

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The Weekly Musing - June WeekTwo

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This Week's Web Browsing...

• This is me. Sadly.
• On Travelling and Discoveries. Short post, but I liked it.
• Hello, is it tea you're looking for? Damn right it is!
• I Love Lists. And so does Sarah apparently!

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What I did this week...
Oh god - now you're asking. Not.A.Lot.
But then again that's not a hugely bad thing. I've been recharging my batteries, mentally, physically, creatively - ooh a whole load of -ly words. It's been well worth it, because I feel so much better for it. 

What I HAVE done however, is been shopping. Oh dear. Well, not so oh dear actually because I'm going to tell you aaall about them tomorrow, which I'm going to enjoy immensely - winwinwin. 


EssieButton
Estée is my latest find in the blogging world. I adore accents, and her Canadian one offsets her charming videos perfectly. She also does a series which I think is brilliant. I love reading beauty blogs to pick up tips and discover new products but I think that generally product reviews are the more boring thing ever. Honestly. I never read them. I skim to the bottom the read the verdict then go off in search of something more interesting. 
Essie however, does a video called 'Empties' where she quickly reviews products that she's finished on the basis of whether or not she'd buy them again or not. It's simple, it's genius and actually keeps me interested. 

Essie's Blog // On Youtube

Pop-Up Garden

I've enthused about Color Me Katie before now, and there's some more gorgeousness to be had over at her blog in the form of pop-up gardens! She has so many brilliant ideas and I have no idea how she pulls them off - but a flower in a mug is certainly something I can see myself signing up for. 
Perhaps in these Anthropologie ones. 



Isn't this fantastic?!


I've been listening to...
Ellie Goulding. The Script. The Pretty Reckless. My favourite song?


I just love his voice. Maybe it's the Irish? 


What have you charming people been up to this week?