Birthday inspiration

So, it's my birthday in about 2 weeks time, and i'm super excited! As of yet I don't currently have any plans regarding going out, however I can pretty much guarantee there'll be more than a few cocktails consumed in celebration!

Now i've always adored sequins, they're one of my all time favourite things, but i've never been brave enough to experiment with them in a big way - however in the spirit of "go hard or go home" I think this dress is simply amazing! It's low cut at the back too for extra edginess - what more could you want! It's a bit on the pricey side though (as with all things which have a Topshop label in) so i'm going to hunt the high street for an equally as amazing dupe - wish me luck!

In an ideal, money aside world, the short/vest top combo would be perfect for a birthday meal - subtly mixing elegance with decadence and sophistication  - this is also on my dupe list, I feel trip to Primark coming on! 

As for those shoes, they're simply amazing 6.5 inches of pure fabulousness! There are no more words, and no more words are needed - swoon! 

I am so excited to go have a snoop around London after work on Thursday so i shall keep you updated as to what I find!

Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication

Today blog readers, I feel the need for extravagant somewhat pompous expressions of thought and this is no more prevalent than within the title for this post.

I feel that some days just lend themselves well to inspiring moods of grandeur and today is one of those days!

"For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness" Ralph Waldo Emerson.

And that is all I have to say on the matter. 

Procrastination a plenty

Circumstances mean that I am currently 3 hours away from my friends and family; and as much as I love London this is hard.

Long story short the extra time I found myself with has meant I've been spending a lot more of my time on the internet, and have, in turn become addicted to a little site you may have heard of ... Pinterest.

I've heard Pinterest being described as a machine simultaneously pushing and pulling you between wanting to spend hours baking the most elaborate cakes you'll ever feast your eyes upon, whilst at the same time making you feel guilty for not exercising more.

Now whilst I slightly disagree with this, I can see where these people are coming from.  For me, Pinterest has become a gluttonous black hole to which I can be lost for hours.  

Three cheers for Pinterest, hip hip hurray ....

I've now got the thing which happens when you say one word over and over again and it begins to sound weird in your own head - PinterestPinterestPinterestPinteresPinterest

I swear if you're not had the pleasure of wasting away infront of a computer screen endlessly searching for 'stuff' then you're doing something wrong.  

Be prepared to be bombarded randomly with any slightly blog worth pictures I come across ... 

Back to basics

Bit of a step back from my previous post, but I thought I'd share my daily beauty regime with you.  


I'd always been a bit of a 'less is more' kinda girl when in terms of daily facial regime - literally splashed my face with water and slapped on only old moisturiser and off I went; much to the apparent dismay of my boyfriend who repeatedly told me that caking my face in E45 would not do me any favours ....


Anyway about 2/3 weeks ago now I started to notice that my face was breaking out in a lot of spots, my previously tamed oily T-zone had gone into overdrive and I generally didn't look too hot. 


So off to Boots I went, in search of lotions and potions to fix this.  Now before I get started I would just like to express my love for Boots, I don't know about you but I can literally spend a good hour in there and it feels like no time at all.  


Now, I like to think of myself as a very savee shopper and so I had searched the internet before hand and read countless reviews of many different products, before choosing my Top 3:

Now I must admit that the aforementioned boyfriend uses this product so it is not totally new to me, however this is the first time I have used this product on a regular basis.  So far I have found it to be really good, and that it really does do what is says on the tin.  It tingles ever so slightly when you first put it on, which is kind of nice, and it has that sort of medical smell to it (I hope you know what I mean when I say this) which reassures me it's doing only good things for me skin.  The oil-free factor to this product is really important to me, as the moisturiser I had before increased the oil levels on my T-zone meaning my make up was literally sliding off my face a couple of hours after application.  Not good.


The second product I bought in a bid to banish my spots was (fan fare please) ...

I know a lot of people use this product already, but I seriously cannot rave about it enough.  The only issue I do have with this product if that you apply the stick directly to your blemishes - I can't decide if in the long run you're going to be spreading germs across your face, however as this has not yet been a problem I shall await judgement.

The final product I bought was a Boots Simple Sensitive Face Mask, however as I have never even heard of this product before I bought it, and because I've only used it twice I'm going to wait a couple of weeks and review it properly then.


So there you have it, an insight into a now expanding facial regime.  I also picked up a couple of Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair and Even Skintone Illuminator samples which I have been trying for a few days (and may already love despite their amazing price tag) so await further review. 


Do you have any skincare secrets? How do people feel about vlogging this sort of this?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

This title refers to two different aspects of my life firstly this here blog.  After the initial hype which surrounds starting any new project, I am the first to admit my stream of consciousness slowed to a halt around exam season, and this is my first chance/desire to get back into it.  I have decided that what ultimately want from this blog is a place to escape to when everything seems to be mounting up, I want this to be the place where i'm free to express and explore those things which make me happiest.  Secondly then, this title refers to my absent boyfriend, who is currently studying in Hong Kong for six weeks.  Whilst being unbelievably talented and driven, he has also shown me what is truly important in life.  I admire the way in which he's travel across the globe and is embracing every opportunity he's faced.  Yes I know this level of pride is verging on the edges of being sickening to anyone outside my relationship bubble, however bare with me ...


I have, for as long as I can remember, faced this feeling that I want more from life than a healthy salary in an 'okay' firm doing an 'okay' job.  I am currently working my way through a summer internship (no names mentioned here - sneaky) and whilst I love the people I am meeting, and I realise how amazing the opportunity I have currently is amazing, it has also helped solidify my belief that I am not going to end up a boring old suit before I turn 30.


I think life is for living, it's about embracing those things which you love, and as corny as it sounds, it about doing those things which scare us - not matter how great the potential for failure is.


This blog is hopefully going to reflect this, and act as documentation to illustrate the turning point I feel i'm about make.


I am scared shitless that i'll grow old and never have done those things which 1. scare me 2. excite me 3. make me happier than I ever though possible.  In the words of Willy Wonker "take and look and you'll see into your imagination"


Inspirational photos; for those days when nothing feels exciting/interesting/amazing ... 

                                                                 Source: Pinterest.

Source: Pinterest.

Victoria sponge, oreo stuffed, chocolate covered cake heaven

Hello there,
Before I start this post, I want to point out I am, by no means, a fantastic cook.  This recipe is super easy, and in my humble opinion, still looks amazing! So go on treat somebody - suitable for: birthdays, christenings, general cake applicable occasions. 

What you will need (for the sponge)
200g Caster Sugar
200g Butter
4 Eggs
200g Self-Raising Flour
2 tbsp Milk


What you will need (for the chocolate fudge topping)
1 pot of Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Icing, or
75g Unsalted Butter
175g Icing Sugar
3 tbsp Cocoa Powder
Drop of Milk
Variety of your favourite chocolate to decorate


What you will need (for the Oreo filling)
200g Unsalted Butter
400g Icing Sugar
25 Oreos - depending on how crunchy you want your filling this number can go up or down slightly. 
N.B if you're not a huge butter cream fan, use 100g Unsalted Butter and 200g Icing Sugar.


Step One: Pre-heat your oven to 190 Degrees Celsius/375 Degrees Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 5.  Combine all your sponge ingredients together in one bowl, making sure to whisk the eggs before adding them - you're mix should look like this ... 

Step Two: Split your mixture between two 8 inch cake tins (splitting the mix before cooking, is so much easier than trying to cut your cake in half once cooked). Bake in the middle of your over for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from over, and allow to fully cool.  


Step Three:  Whilst you're waiting for your cake to cook, start making your oreo filling. In one bowl cream together your butter and sugar - this process takes a while, be patient/ask someone with superior arm strength to help. Once you've got your butter cream sorted, place your oreos into a bowl and hit them repeatedly with a rolling pin (or the handle of a hand whisk in my case), until they're nice and broken up - how small you want your oreo pieces in really up to your own personal preference. When you're happy with your oreo bits, gradually mix them into your butter cream - make sure you enjoy this bit, the sound it makes is amazing!

Step Three: When your cake it totally cool, place each half onto a separate plate, gentally brush it down to remove flaky bits that'll stop your icing from sticking, then attack it with your chocolate fudge!! If your making your own, simply mix together all your ingredients is a bowl, altering cocoa quantities depending on how much of a chocolate fiend you are.  N.B Start off with a very thin layer of icing, then build it up - imagine you're painting your nails, one thick layer is never good.  

Step Four:  Now you've got the sides of you cake and the top covered, spoon your oreo filling onto the top of your base sponge.  When you're happy with thickness, cover this with your top sponge.  

Step Five: Once you're happy with the positioning of your cake, go to town and cover it with as much chocolate as you can stomach.  Chocolate Buttons work really well around the edges of your cake! 


Step Six: Enjoy! 


Good Luck, and let me know if you try this recipe out, or if you have any suggestions of how to make it even better!


Initial recipe based on 'The Londoners: Double Stuffed Oreo Cake' available at http://www.thelondoner.me/2012/03/double-stuffed-oreo-cake.html 
                                                                               x

Vintage Chic

Hello there

As a student, and an all around savvy shopper I am always on the look out for a bargain.  This week me and the boyfriend took a trip to Southport (post to follow), and we had the most amazing day thrift shopping; snooping out bargains and fooling around amongst the plethora of unusually amazing trinkets, in the best of the North West's charity shops..  


I made two purchases during the course of the day.  My top find being this Jane Shilton Bag, priced at just £5 -  fantastic! 

I think this is the true meaning of vintage shopping, hunting out those items unwanted by their previous owner hidden amongst rails and rails of frankly shocking 80s throwbacks.  


Charity Shopping Top Tips:


1.  Don't be put off by the seamlessly endless amount of clothing horrors you will find. Persistence is key. 
2.  Try on, just because the clothes you're looking at are cheap this doesn't mean you should throw caution to the wind and buy everything and anything you lay your eyes on.
3.  Don't just look for your size.  The chance you'll come across an amazing dress/shirt/skirt in your size are slim.  Get creative, if you're normally a size 10, that size 18 'top', will look amazing on you as a dress with a belt.  


Good luck and happy shopping

x

General Delights

Just a quick post to keep you up-to-date with everything that has been going on in the world of me this week ...  

 Yog Hut: Recently opened in Liverpool (I'm lead to believe they're big in America).

 Lapsang Tea: I am a tea addict (even if i do never finish a complete cup according to my boyfriend) and this is my new favourite.

 Nerds: Amazing.

 Hot Chocolate: How fantastic does this look, I'm vegetarian so i'm always being encouraged to drink more milk, and this has to be the most perfect way to do so.

Leopard Nails: First ever attempt this week, I'm going to keep practicing then upload a tutorial ... await further update.
x

Ben and Jerry's and Chocolate Philadelphia.

Slightly unimaginative blog title, however that is because this post needs no fancy introduction (in my humble opinion). 

This week has been full of the most amazing discoveries! The first of which i'm going to tell you about is Ben and Jerry's Core Berry White.  My life changed for the better the moment I saw this on the shelves in Tesco, it has a core chocolate truffle sauce center surrounded by vanilla ice cream and white chocolate chunks on one side, and raspberry ice cream and raspberry pieces on the other.  This was definitely one of those time where you through caution to the wind and eat the whole 500ml in one go - it is pure delight! 

My second most amazing discovery was Chocolate Philadelphia. Now I know this one has been doing the rounds for a bit now, however I've only just been able to try it - it's like nutella but better, in the way that you don't want to sit there and eat it straight out of the tub with a spoon!  

As you can see, I probably went a bit over board and used a third of a tub on two crackers, however at 86 calories per serving it's a lot less guilt inducing than the Ben and Jerry's.  

Now please excuse me why I say goodbye to ideas I was harboring about achieving an amazing summer body ...

                                                                      x

Summer time ...

The end is in sight, and summer is almost here. I am determined to make the most of this one ... the only thing left to decide, however, is how?!

I have a million different ideas/suggestions buzzing around in my head right now - my main concern thought is making it one to remember! Yes I’ve have 'good' summers before, but I’ve never had an amazingly brilliant, so good you want to shout about it from the rooftops summer.

Wah. I'm über jealous of everyone I know who has plans to jet off to far flung corners of the Earth - is it really worth maxing out an overdraft in search of summer fun/adventures/thrills/memories that will last FOREVER?! Answers on a postcard please.

                                                                                  x

The place where dreams are made

So the other day, me and the boyfriend took a walk around what I believe to be the place of dreams A.K.A John Lewis.


Now before you think I’m getting carried away with myself, we were in the Liverpool John Lewis - I have never been to any other and I empathise with anyone who may have to make do with a sub-standard store. Needless-to-say the majority of our trip was spent in the cafe - I feel cafe is not the word to use, it doesn't seem grandiose enough, however - wow. The whole place is just so lovely and cosy and amazing and wonderful! (Pictures to follow) I had a Hot Chocolate, he had a Latté and a current bun type thing ... I don't much like currents and so have promptly forgotten the correct word to describe it!


Anyways this was 100% one of the best days I’ve had in such a long time and that is the reason I wanted to share it with you. Remember ... Go to John Lewis, go now!

x

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination.

Rules for living:

1. No one is thinking about you. They're thinking about themselves, just like you.
2. The key to success lies in how you pick yourself up from failure.
3. Be honest and kind.
4. Only buy clothes that make you feel like doing a small dance.
5. Don't expect the world to be safe or life to be fair.
6. Don't regret anything. Remember that wasn't anything else that could have happened, given who you were and the state of the world at the moment. The only thing you can change is the present, so learn from the past.

As of February 29^th2012, I Charlotte Owen being of sound mind (questionable) and body hereby pledge that I am going to worry less, and say yes to everything! (well almost, within reason, lets not get too ahead of ourselves). Watch. This. Space