Fancy a Change?

Apologies for being untraceable for a few days, I've been without internet. It's okay though, I'm back! Apologies again if you like a photo filled post because today's is going to be pretty wordy but I would love it if you gave it a read anyway. Before I get into what I have to say I'll update you on a few things. Point one, I'm no longer dying of a cold, yay! Point two my dress from Missguided is on it's way. Last but definitely not least, point three, I've found the nicest hot chocolate on the planet, it's the Options hazelnut one and it has a faint taste of Nutella, it's lovely!

Now today's post is very much based around the idea of if you don't like something, change it. Basically, that's my aim. It had taken me a while to come to this conclusion because I have zero will power in order to change myself to be the version of me that I want to be. I've decided that now is the time to do it and that if or when I achieve what I want to achieve, I will be a lot happier with myself. My personal aims are to become more confident, do more exercise and lose a bit of weight. I've already started the first two and I decided it might be nice to involve you lot with my 'journey' so to speak. If you fancy, you can join me too. To achieve these aims, I'm setting myself little goals everyday. 

All of my aims are pretty difficult, well I think they are, but becoming more confident is proving most difficult. My mini goal a day for confidence is to answer one question in class. This is only one question for my whole six lessons but I usually just fade into the background and shy away from saying anything. You may think that this isn't really going to help but I am going to gradually increase the number of questions that I challenge myself to answer. I'm doing it little by little. I've also started emailing a lovely girl named Pamela who also has a blog, which is fab by the way and you'd be wrong not to have a nosy. I commented on one of her posts one day and proposed that we did and it's definitely not something I regret. That was also a big step for me because I normally never would have done that but I'm so glad I did. If you fancy doing the same my email is potaaaaato@gmail.com and I'll be happy to have a natter.

Exercising more isn't proving as difficult as the other two. I'm not the most sporty person in the world, in fact I'm not sporty at all but I figured it was time to get off my bum once in a while. This one sort of ties in with losing weight which is handy but the main reason I wanted to do more is so I can put it on college applications. Making myself look better mainly, what can I say? To do this I'm doing after school sport clubs which just aren't my thing but I'll do what I have to to get into where I want to go. I'm doing really exciting badminton on a thursday which I'm awful at and I may start going to netball on a monday if I can go to a different law revision session on a different night. I'm doubting I will though but good intentions ey?

The last is losing weight, now don't even bother trying to talk me out of it because if I lose a bit  I will be happier and thats what I want really. My goals for this one are to stop snacking, which means just two square meals a day, which I can do but it takes a bit, well a lot of will power. The other goal for this one is to do 50+ sit ups a day, which isn't a lot really considering it will work some toning magic on my pudge. I'm also doing my after school sports clubs which ties in with this, very handy if you ask me.

Sorry that it's been a long rambley one today but it had to be said really. I am making a promise to all of you reading this that I will do what I've told you and I'm not one for breaking promises. Hopefully you got something out of this and maybe you'll set your own goals to be the best you that you can be.

This is how I want to feel all the time..
I'm a panda, it will be in a post later in the week.

Grab A Cuppa, Let's Have A Chat

I didn't fancy doing anything special today but I felt like we ought to have a catch up. First thing I'd like to address is that I accidentally almost deleted my 'Bonjour' post so it may be saying that it was posted today when in fact it was posted about three weeks plus ago. Secondly I'd like to point out that I've caught a cold from my friend so I probably won't have any outfit posts up because my nose is bright red and just ew. I also won't be putting my post about how I do my bun up as quickly as I hoped because I just haven't had the light to photograph it and I need to plan it out more, the things I do for you lot ey? Another thing, is Missguided not working for all of you too because I've been trying to order a dress (there will be a photo at the end) since yesterday and when I go to check out it says my basket is empty. I'd be super grateful if you gave me some feedback on this issue so I know it's not just me. Tinterweb shopping can be so stressful at times. I just fancied a natter so that's all I have to say to you today, hope you're all having a fab day with this glorious English weather (if you're in the UK that is) and enjoy the rest of that cuppa you made!

I Bought Stuff and Now I'm Showing You

Last weekend I picked up a few bits and bobs, nothing too special but I wasn't feeling so creative so this is what I've gone with today. This is also a tad belated as it's now Thursday and I bought all of this on Saturday. Ooops.

Boring bits n' pieces

This is the most very boring collection of goods but that's what I bought. I understand that it is not the most beauty related/fashion 'haul' so if that's what you're looking for, scroll on down and see what else I have to offer.

Moo!

So I bought this adorable arch lever folder for my history coursework (yawn). I had to make it look more fun than it is because it's just so dull. I went with the multicoloured cows because they were cute. I got it in the stationary sale in Tesco for around £1.70

The nicest
smelling
deodorant 

I'm getting the boring stuff out of the way first. I just thought I'd share this with you though because it's the nicest smelling deodorant that you can buy in my opinion. I haven't come across anyone that doesn't like it so it can't be that bad right?

Dry shampers

You may have already seen this but it's just my current dry shampoo. It smells okay and it doesn't leave white marks in your hair like batiste so I can't complain really. Works like a charm. It's cheaper than batiste too.

Cuffs

Now these are something I've been looking for for a while. I just wanted some cheap, plain ear cuffs and when I saw these I snapped them straight up. I mean who wouldn't for £2? They're just cute and since there's three, they go with everything.

Eeeeee, I love this hat so much!

Soon as I set eyes on this, it had to be mine. It's from the mens section in my beloved Primark. It was £3. Can you believe it? I mainly bought it because Rita Ora wore a super similar one in her RIP video. I just love her, can you tell?

Tempted to do a 'Get the Look'

I won't be posting again until Tuesday because I'm lacking a laptop charger so I'm using Papa's at the minute. I may try and do a little unperfected post from the iPad but I'm not promising you. I will still reply to all your fab comments though! Have a lovely weekend and we'll have a catch up on Tuesday.

I Swear, I'm As Free As My Hair..

Ooooh cheesy post title there Katie! Anyway, lets have a natter about hair.

Attempting to make me look like I'm fun when I'm not

Me and the mop I call my hair have never been friends really, I've cut it short many a time then hated it, I've burnt it to a crisp with my straightening iron and bleached the crap out of it over the years. I'm currently trying to create a more loving relationship with it but it's making it difficult for me because well, it doesn't do what I want it to do ever.

This was my hair last Friday

This is the closest I could get to showing you the length of my hair really. It's not long at all for all I'm trying to grow it and I haven't had it cut since the beginning of April. I only straighten my hair once a week max. It just happened to be Friday last week because it was school photo day (cringe), I still look awful even though my hair did look better than it usually does. My hair kinda looks ombre but it really isn't. It is just the lack of dye my hair has seen recently and that the bleach is still in the ends off when I was like twelve.

Looking rough this morning, mmm

So this is my hair after it has naturally dried. If you have hair like this yourself you probably hate it like me but many people I've spoke to would love to have natural hair like mine. I just can't get my head around that. I don't really know what to say about my natural hair really, it's just curly really and never wants to stay straight when straightened.

The bun that occurs when I have
the above permy situation

 

I often throw my hair up in a bun when it's natural. It's just easy and gets it out of my face. Plus I've had a few compliments on my bun and how much it looks like I have a doughnut in when I actually don't. I can attempt to show you through photos how to do It if you'd like. I'm not sure how I'll manage but I'm willing to try if that's what you want. Just let me know.

Shampers

I'm not one for buying a specific shampoo all the time so I have little to say about this one really because I've only had this one bottle. It smells nice and cleans my hair so to me it's perfect. It does it's job. I'm not so sure about the claim that it repairs your hair because it seems no different to me but all in all, I like it.

Conditioner 

 

Okay, this is one product to do with my hair that I stick to. I adore this conditioner it moisturises the hair and it smells just devine. Oh, it;s just fab, I love it. The bottle is also super handy because it doesn't have a lid which avoids the slippery shower faff that you usually have to go through to get the product out.

Dry shampers

This is just the first dry shampoo that I picked up in the shop as I have no preferences. It was pretty cheap, It was £4 and has quite a lot in. It smells alright and does the job so I have no complaints. It also does not leave white marks in your hair either which is a positive. I just whack a bit of this in my hair on day 2 when it's looking a bit lifeless.

Highly messed up Tangle Teezer

If you're a little phobic of hair just ignore the above photo. This is the most loved out of all my hair brushes as you can tell from the bent bristles. It looks like a dog brush but it works like a charm. It is a little overpriced for a plastic hair brush but I love it anyway. It gets rid of tangles without the pain and tears of a normal comb or brush. I just love it and so does my hair. It's the one thing we agree on!

Well that's that hairy subject sorted (ay, see what I did there?)

Am I boring you with the outfits yet?

Yes, another outfit. I know, yawn! I did have something else I wanted to do today but it will have to be tomorrow or Tuesday because I lost the lighting I wanted for it before I got a chance to whip out my camera, so this is plan b. 

The clothes I threw on on my
return from school

 

I'm super intelligent so I decided to put on a skirt on the windiest day of the year. Good one, Katie. My outfit consists of a man's t-shirt from Primark with the sleeves cut off, an oxblood skater skirt from Topshop, my pleather jacket from Topshop, some plain black tights, my mini saddle bag from Primark and my cute little booties from Primark also. There's not a lot to say about this outfit really. I really like the skirt because it flattering for all shapes and sizes and it is such a lovely colour. Saying that, the colour is really difficult to pair with colours other than black. I decided to go with a print tee to spice up this outfit a little. Other than that it's a pretty basic outfit really. 

Booties

 

As far as I am aware, I haven't shared a photo of these babies with you lot just yet. Can you believe that they were £8? Me neither! They're so cute and so versatile. I'm in love. They're just little lace up pixie boots in a faux suede material. They attract cat hair like there's no tomorrow but I love them so much anyway.

Fave bag at the mo

 

Ah, the trusty mini saddle bag. Aw I do love this bag. Its just perfect in my eyes, It was only £4, I still can't believe it. I wore all items shown with my usual jewellery (bracelets, pyramid earrings, no necklace) as this whole outfit was just thrown together before Papa came to pick me up. 

That is all for today my lovelies!

Sexy Mother Pucker

Just a quickie today because my maths homework has been quite the bitch so I don't have much time, I'm very sad about this. Anyway, I fancied telling you about my favourite lip gloss ever.

Soap and glory, sexy mother pucker

 You will either love or hate this product, I'm a lover. It's just fab in every single way! I have two shades of this glory-ous (ah, see what I did there?) product. I have 'Candy Gloss' which is the pinky looking shade at the front of this photo and 'Yummy Plum' which is the more rich red colour behind. It retails for £9 (buy) which may be a bit steep for the bargain hunters among us but I think it's worth it. I got introduced to this wonderful item last Christmas when I got 'Candy Gloss' in a gift set from my lovely Nana. They're supposed to be plumping lip glosses which I personally don't think they are because I don't see a difference but I love them anyway. They tingle when you apply them in order to plump your lips which I love the feel of, some people will despise this feeling but you can't please everyone. It does apply very thick and sticky and shiny so I do like to blot it a little to get rid of the excess. They are applied with your usual doe foot applicator which I forgot to photograph for you so I apologise.

'Yummy Plum' 

Sorry for not showing you what it looks like on my actual lips, it's only because my lip is wonky off having to have stitches in it when I was little because I'm extremely accident prone. I can't decide which of the two shades are my favourite, they're on par really. This one is very pigmented compared to 'Candy Gloss'. This one really just enhances your natural lip colour more than anything.

'Candy Gloss'

The love for this shade just comes from the fact that it is clear and full of sparkles. Every girl loves sparkles right? I just love it so much. This adds shine more than anything, I like this one best on top of very drying lipsticks because it just gives a little moisture and more shine. What more could you want, you can have your favourite lip colour with added sparkles. Perfect combo!

Well this was short and sweet.

Preppy & Pretty

Sorry to bore you with the outfit posts but I liked this so you're seeing it anyway,

Hair looks lush..

 

I thought this look was kinda cute, I know it features the same shirt as the previous but it's fine because it's been washed okay, I'm not unclean. I've paired the jumper that I had in my 'Buying on a Budget' post and a pair of Topshop Leigh jeans which are just lovely. I also put it with my slipper pumps also mentioned in my 'Buying on a Budget' post and my mini saddle bag that I also mentioned in my previous post. I promise you I have more clothes than what I'm letting on.

Topshop earrings

 

I decided to go for gold jewellery today so I decided to go with my gold cross earrings from Topshop. Being quite the bargain hunter myself, I noticed these in the sale section in outfit, which stocks Topshop, for a pound. What is even better is that they are still full price, eee, love a good bargain me. I don't wear them very often because I do wear silver most of the time because it's just more 'timeless' in my opinion.

The shirt and jumper combo featuring stag necklace

 

Granted, not all of you will like the look of the collar with this neckline but I really do. I just think the print of the shirt compliments the jumper rather nicely and just adds a cute little detail to the outfit really. I also fancied wearing my cute little stag necklace that I picked up from primark this time last year. I just love it and looks so nice with knits during the A/W season. For the grand total of £2 I couldn't not pick this baby up. 

Slipper shoes and mini saddle bag

 

Trust me, primark is not the only shop I'm ever in. If I'm totally honest, I find it very hitty missy. These two are just fab though so they were a must really. The gold hardware on the bag also matches my jewellery which I quite like. I'm still wearing both of these items non stop because they're so nice and can look really quite classy. I am loving a bit of Primark at the moment. Autumn does not only bring pretty golden leaves but pretty new collections too!

Ankle grazers

 

I know this photo is beyond poo. I was trying to show you in more detail that they were ankle grazers. Truth is, it didn't work. I love love love these jeans. The Topshop Leighs are just so comfy and soft, I really do love them. I love jeans that have little turn ups on the bottom, I just love the extra little detail. I like the colour contrast too, it's just so cute and ditsy. I've just noticed how deformed my feet look, they're not, they only look like that because my feet are flat on the floor but my legs aren't. 

On that note, I'll leave you, feel free to stop looking at my weird feet any time you like..

Casual Saturday Outfit

Thought it might be nice to show you what I was wearing today,

Main body of the outfit

 

Today I went for a summer to autumn transitional look that consisted of my favourite jeans, a floral print and dark coloured accessories. 

Floral sheer sleeveless shirt

 

I bought this shirt a while ago to wear to a friends party and I've managed to get a lot more wear out of it than I expected. I love the print and the back is longer than the front so it can be worn with leggings. It is a great transitional piece and it's very versatile. It's no longer in New Look or on the website but I believe it was pretty inexpensive, around £15 if I'm remembering correctly. 

Spaghetti strap vest

 

I wore a brown vest under my top as it is very sheer. It made it look slightly darker which was nice because it made it slightly more autumn appropriate. I just picked this up a while ago for about £2 from Primark because it's a neutral colour that is handy to put under sheer items or 'holey' jumpers as I call them. 

My babies

 

I bought these jeans about two years ago from River Island so these are no longer stocked either but they were around £40 and I'd recommend River Island jeans because they last a long time and they have a wide range. They fit me so well and I love them so much. I like the ripped detail (you can see it on the first photo) on the front because it just makes them a little more interesting really. I like to turn up the bottoms of them because it just adds a little more detail and looks like you've thought about your outfit more.

Pleather jacket

 

As I was on my way out of the door I threw on my Topshop pleather jacket, which was £55 (buy), for a bit of warmth and interest.I love it, I wear it so much. It's just such a staple piece within my wardrobe all year round. At the moment I'm really enjoying the way it looks with the sleeves pushed up a little so thats how I was wearing it today. I also really love that my top peaks out from under it at the back.

Shoezies 

 

I featured these in my 'Buying on a Budget?' post last sunday (read) and I've barely taken them off since. I love them, they're so cute and comfortable. Best of all was the fact that they were £6, oh how I love you Primark. They're so versatile and so on trend. I'm so glad I picked them up, they go with so much and they're so nice for this time of year.

Mini saddle bag

 

This bag is really small and so on trend right now, it's just perfect for me. It's small, yet big enough to fit all your essentials in. I know everyone has it but if you don't I suggest you go and buy it because I've been using it non stop since I bought it. It was only £4 in Primark, can't be robbed eh? It comes in a maroon colour and a dark greeny colour so there's one to suit everyone too. The only issue I had with this bag was the length of the strap but I just put another hole in it and now it's fine.

Goat necklace

 

I adore this necklace right now. I got it in Topshop for £1.50 in the sale, another bargain. It's on a short chain and sits just in the right place when I have my shirt buttoned up to the top. It's dainty and kinda quirky so I just love it. I think it's one of those pieces your either love or hate. I'm definitely a lover of it, it's right up my street.

Pyramid stud earrings

 

I bought these at the same time as I bought the goat necklace, also in the sale for £1.50. They're just really wearable and I've gotten a lot of compliments for them because they're interesting and chic. I wear them almost every day because they have become my favourite earrings since I've had them. As you can probably tell, I really love Topshop jewellery although I do tend to buy most of it in the sale because I think it can be overpriced.

'Glawping' bracelet

 

I also showed this bracelet in my 'Buying on a Budget?' post (read). It's just become one of my everyday bracelets over the past week. It was £1 in Miss Selfridge. It's cringey but it's cute so I'm enjoying it. It's also fading a bit too, major sadness, because I forgot to take it off in the shower one day so the colour washed out a bit.

Pope bracelet

 

I got this bracelet when I was in Rome. Yes, it has photos of the Pope on. No, I am not religious but mama and I joke on saying I'm the religious one of the family for wearing religious bracelets and jewelllery with crosses on. When we saw this we just knew I needed it. It actually looks quite cute on in my opinion but I could be wrong.

Religious bracelet

 

And last but not least, my religious bracelet that mama brought be back from the Vatican City the first time she went in may. I wear this every day with the above two and they are just a cute little combo really. I couldn't tell you what religious figures are actually on this but I wear it all the same. I don't want anyone religious to take offense by my jewellery because it's just fashion when it comes down do it and I don't mean to be offensive. 

So thats my outfit done, It's taken me two hours to write this, I can't believe it's done!

My Year So Far..

Today I fancied just having a little ramble about what I've done this year. Thinking about it I've done quite a lot in comparison to usual. It's been really good. 

Eiffel Tower, Paris

 

The fun began in Paris in February. Despite the fact that it was minus degrees the whole time and the twelve hour coach journey each way, it was wonderful all the same. Since it was a school trip I enjoyed myself more than I usually would have since I was surrounded by my friends the whole time. This also meant that I had people to go on the rides with in DisneyLand which was a bonus. 

Louvre Museum, Paris

 

Since it was a school trip, the hotel was poo and so was the food there but I think that actually made it better because it meant we could pretty much do what we wanted and it wouldn't make it any less poo. It was wonderful, we did all sorts from DisneyLand to McDonalds on the Shanzelize and from the Eiffel Tower to shaving chunks out of our eyebrows for something fun to do in the hotel room. I loved Paris, I got to go places that I've wanted to for years and I've witnessed some of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Cute little sweet shop we found in Keswick

 

Next up was a geography trip to Keswick in the Lake District. We went there to do our case study but the work itself only took about an hour to do so we had the rest of the day to have a look around and enjoy ourselves. In my opinion Keswick is such a cute little place with an adorable town centre with little stand alone shops like the one in the photo above. The day we went was overcast but not wet so it was almost perfect for it really. 

Aw, I just love this photo

 

Keswick is such a lovely place, it's views are so beautiful and everyone is just so friendly. When doing our case study we met a couple with a great dane too and it was just so gentle and I loved it, even though I am a cat person, I just wanted to steal it and bring it home with me. I really enjoyed this day too, we had a laugh and we got to see such a nice place so I'm not complaining one bit even though we did school work.

View from the inside of the Colosseum

So then there was Rome only around a month ago. I very much enjoyed it. I'm not usually one for sight seeing, It's all about the sun and the tanning for me, but you'd struggle not to be amazed by the sights that are there. The weather was positively glorious the whole time we were there, it was around thirty six degrees every day. The food was also beautiful, when I was there I ate the best pizza I've had in my whole life. I gotta give it to 'em, the Italians know a thing or two about good food. 

Can't keep away from cats!

 

Firstly I would just like to say that the cat shelter we went to in Rome was such a lovely idea and the people working there were so compassionate and loving towards all the cats living there. The cat shelter was situated right next to some ruins so the cats were able to roam free within them which was so lovely. The shelter mainly took in cats with mental illnesses that they had ended up with because of road accident and things along those lines. It was such a heartbreaking experience really because one was unable to walk properly and just struggled around the place but he was still trying to play with the other cats and it was just so adorable and sad at the same time. This shelter does such great work and it's a place I'd recommend you to go.

This was on my camera so I thought it would be nice
just to have it at the end

 

I've done other things this year too that but I don't have a lot to write about them to have a full paragraph each. In January I went to see one direction which was cool, I'm not the biggest fan but they're hot and they put on a good show so I enjoyed that. There was a small festival that I went to also which was great because I got to see Dizzee Rascal, Noah and the Whale, Rizzle Kicks, Maximo Park, Miles Kane, Spector, etc. We also went to Alton Towers which I loved. We also have a few things planned for the next few months too that I'm looking forward to, just to finish off the year as fun as it started.

Meet the Pretty Kitties

Since I've mentioned my cats a few times I figured it was time to introduce you to them..

Greebo (left) & Ben (right)

Do ignore the quality of this photo, it was taken on a phone I had about three years ago, therefore this photo is about the same age. Even though the quality is appalling I still find this photo adorable. We've had these cuties for just over nine years now and being only fifteen myself, they've pretty much been around my whole life which I think is the reason I have such a love for cats. They are also house cats as we figured it necessary and probably better for them.

Ben in some odd light but hey, I like it.

So Ben may be small and slim but his personality sure does make up for his smaller size, saying that, he's not small for a cat at all. He's a cheeky little horror at times but I love him all the more for it. He parades around like he owns the place, carrying his tail over his back, similar to a monkey. 

Ben in some better light! 

This is my favourite photo I have of this purr-y furry. I think it shows his cheeky personality and his adorable loving nature too. He's quite a unique and wonderful personality with many sides to him. Saying that he does have a slightly annoying side to him since he's currently walking all over the keyboard. Nice one darlin'. 

Greebo being a little cutie as always.

This little guy is the most gentle thing ever. He's so affectionate and loving. Both my kitties are large but he's a lot bigger and more towards the pleasantly plump side of life. Don't worry they both get equally fed, it's just because this little sweetheart can't run around as much as Ben. 

Another. This was taken with a fish eye lens.

I'm yet to tell you what makes him such a unique little fellow. Okay so he hasn't had the easiest of lives. Before the age of four (they're thirteen now) we didn't have these two and their previous owners let them out to run free and whatnot and the RSPCA believe that he got hit by a car. Due to the injuries caused, one of his back legs had to be amputated. This means he's chubby now since he isn't able to exercise as much as Ben. They also believed that his nose was broken in the accident so now he snores when he is awake.

Now you know my cats too!