Nails I Need

Having become a bit obsessed with Barry M Nail Paint's lately, I often find myself perusing the Boots website, lusting after the shades I want to purchase next. Now that I could name pretty much any polish in the Barry M collection, I decided it was time to branch out and start stalking other brands. 

Of course, my first stop was Chanel; at £17.50 their nail varnishes don't come cheap but they are definitely the most hard-wearing polishes in my collection. I found two gorgeous colours, "Taboo" is a much more obvious shade for this time of year but "Orange Fizz" would certainly brighten up any Winter outfit.

I desperately need a black nail varnish in my life, as they are so versatile and great for creating statement nail art. With Barry M Nail Paint's being only £2.99, I couldn't help putting their black one on my wishlist along with a beautiful pastel pink.

I don't actually own any Models Own nail varnishes, and after sitting at my laptop gawking at their entire collection for a good ten minutes, I have to ask myself why. Seriously, why? Just the names of their collections are magical; Wonderland, Beetlejuice, Fireworks, Fruit Pastel, Mirrorball, Tropical and Kaleidoscope. Need I say more? I picked out "Blizzard" because to me, it just looks like Christmas in a pot. "Indian Ocean" also reminds me of an icy Winter's morning and is pretty much the most gorgeous shade I've ever seen. 

I also had a look on the Essie website, as I've seen many beauty bloggers raving about their products. I picked two pastel shades, purely because I have vowed not to purchase any dark red/ burgandy/ purpley-red this season. 

So now I must go and restrain myself from spending £67.98 on nail varnish. Maybe I'll put them all on my list for Santa instead...

Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Taboo - Boots, £17.50 // Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in Orange Fizz - Boots, £17.50 // Barry M Nail Paint in Black - Boots, £2.99 // Barry M Nail Paint in Ice Cream Pink - Boots, £2.99 // Models Own Wonderland Collection in Blizzard - Models Own, £5.00 // Models Own Beetlejuice Collection in Indian Ocean - Boots, £5.00 // Essie Nail Polish in First Timer - Essie, $8.50 // Essie Nail Polish in Pink About It - Essie, $8.50 //

What colours are you loving this Winter?

KJ xo

"All Shopping Eventually Leads To Shoe Shopping."

Excuse the Gossip Girl quote, I couldn't resist.

After recently purchasing a new pair of boots, I apparently decided that I was on some sort of shoe-shopping roll and found myself scouring the internet for a new pair of flats to add to my collection. Somehow that ended with me buying some 2" high, T-bar shoes from Topshop, after being lured in by the sweet scent of a student discount and free postage. One look at these and I knew they'd be mine, I'd figure out what I could actually wear them with later...

When they arrived, I instantly started trying them on with every item of clothing I own. To my surprise they actually go with quite a lot; oversized t-shirts, dresses, and my beloved skater skirts and dungarees. Now all I need is some frilly ankle socks to wear with them and I'll be good to go! 

Charity Shop Haul

I'm not sure what the official laws of blogging say, but I'm pretty sure you have to have more than 3 items to do a haul post. But hey, rules were made to be broken and managing to find 3 decent items in a Bristol charity shop is such an achievement that I had to do a post about it.

InstaDiary: Week 10

Winter pub nights // Joe and his new best friend // My favourite Winter jumper // Dance trophy // Trying to convince myself my hair has grown // Everything I need to hand-make Christmas decorations // Sunset on the Downs // Memory box // No description necessary. 

I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone that has followed/read/commented on this blog as I reached 50 followers today! That may seem like a pretty tiny milestone to some people; but when I was sat in bed at 1am a few months ago and decided to bite the bullet and start a blog, I couldn't imagine 5 people wanting to read it let alone 50! So thank you to everyone that has left a kind comment or clicked the "join this site" button, as it really means the world to me!

KJ xo

DIY Christmas Decorations: Fabric Hearts

This Christmas I am on a mission; I must hand-make every decoration we hang in our house. Why? You may ask; because I am sick of trying to create a chic yet cosy home out of my mum's mismatched, tacky decorations. This year I am taking matters in to my own hands, and I will succeed. 

For the past week I've been running round like a headless chicken trying to purchase everything necessary to hand-make an entire Christmas. As I sat down to start my first set of decorations, I realised this was the perfect opportunity to start a little series on my blog. Therefore, every week leading up to Christmas I will post one tutorial... This may be more for my own entertainment than for yours! 

I decided to start with these fabric hearts, as you can make them entirely out of things from around the house if you wish. These are really great because if you choose not to use Christmas fabrics then they can be hung up in your bedroom all year round! 

Enjoy!

Wearing my Winter Wishlist

I have posted both a "boots" and a "coats" wishlist so far this Winter, and I have since done something rather out of character and gone ahead and purchased two of the items I was lusting after! 

A Box of Memories

I finally got around to painting my memory box this week, which gave me the chance to rifle through all of the things I've saved over the years. If I had it my way, I'd keep every card I was ever given, every train ticket I ever bought and every essay I ever wrote. However that would be insane and I'd probably end up on one of those shows about hoarders. Therefore my memory box is filled with an array of things that represent happy memories, or achievements... Unfortunately that means the card I received from that family friend that I've never met on my 14th birthday didn't quite make the cut.

Taking a trip down memory lane made me feel all warm and fuzzy and so I thought it would be nice to share a few of the less personal items from my box, in the hopes that it would encourage you all to dig up some of your own memorabilia... Or just leave you thinking that I'm a bit strange. You know, whatever. 

InstaDiary: Week 9

Barry M "Peach Melba" // My camera settling back in after a visit to the repair shop // Soup delivered to my bedside // The latest addition to my room //  Peanut butter hot chocolate // Pancakes with bacon and maple syrup // Topshop delivery // New H&M boots // Smoked salmon fishcakes with lemon mayo.

KJ xo

Vintage Time Keeping

Yesterday, I took my mum to a vintage sale/flea market that was being held at our local cricket ground. I took her mainly for a day of bonding and because I knew she'd love to look at all the antique home-ware, but also in the hopes she might loosen the purse strings if I spotted anything I liked! 

Winter Wishlist: Boots

As I've previously mentioned, I'm not really a "shoe person". I kind of just amble through life, buying a new pair of Converse when necessary and occasionally picking up a pair of crazy sparkly trainers when they catch my eye. However, I've always had a fascination with boots; chelsea, biker, cut-out, chukka... as long as they're not thigh-high, in my opinion, they're boot-iful. 

I have only ever owned one pair of "real" boots before (by "real" I mean actual sturdy boots from a shop that isn't Primark), and I absolutely wore them to death. They were a brown lace-up pair from Topshop that I bought when I was 15 after weeks of saving, and I still find myself reaching for them today on a chilly Winter's morning. However after having to have the sole replaced twice, I decided that maybe it was time to start looking for a new pair. 

I hadn't really done any proper boot-browsing as just looking at other, younger, prettier models felt like cheating on my faithful companions. However this weekend, during a particularly unsuccessful shopping trip, I spotted a pair in H&M. They were fierce, they had laces, they had zips, they had a chunky heel and there was only one pair left on the shelf, in a 7.5 (embarrassingly, my exact size). Impulsively, I bought them. They're not exactly "me" but I guess that's what I like about them; not to mention the fact they can be used to add a bit of spice to pretty much any outfit.

After purchasing them, I seem to have caught boot-fever. Me being bored turns in to me perusing boots. Me trying to write blog posts and articles turns in to me perusing boots. Me waking up turns in to me perusing boots...

So here are some of my favourites at the moment, including the pair I've already purchased. I also went ahead and purchased the Topshop jacket that I put on my coats wishlist  which makes me think I should stop making wishlists and start trying to save my money!

What's your favourite style of boot this season?

Lace-up Boots - H&M, £29.99 // SHORT - KG by Kurt Geiger, £130 // Velvet Blue Desert Boot - Asos, £79 // Arvey Double Buckle Boots - Topshop, £78.

KJ xo

October Beauty Favourites

It's the start of a new month and that means it's time to review last month's favourites! Last month I enjoyed a lot of beauty products, so have a peek at these bad boys...

InstaDiary: Week 8

Certificate for my barista training // My latest creation // Afternoon tea and lemonade with Eloise // My first attempt at a waterfall braid // A cute notebook my Grandma gave me // Chicken and bacon salad. Again. // Joe looking proud with his first pasta bake // Vogue getting me in the Christmas spirit // Mine and Joe's midnight feast.

KJ xo

Skater Skirts: A Love Affair

Is owning nine skater skirts a little extensive? It's not, right? 

Ok it totally is. 

Whilst most bloggers do "My Shoe Collection" posts, I have decided to do one on my collection of skater skirts. Partly because unless you want to see a lot of glittery trainers, a post on my shoe collection would be pretty lame, and partly because I think it's high time I addressed the fact that I have an issue. 

I, Kathryn Jamshidi, am addicted to skater skirts.

Winter Wishlist: Coats

I've never had a real winter coat before; I've never been able to bring myself to spend £60 on something to keep me warm, when layering up a few jumpers from the charity shop can do the job just as well. However, this year I have found myself lusting after a lot of coats. I think now that I'm 18 the adult thing to do is to invest in a good quality coat that will see me through the many cold, dark Winters ahead (if not only to stop my mum saying "Aren't you going to be cold?!", every time I leave the house).

The top of my wishlist is a fur coat with cat ears from ASOS. Don't ask me why, I just really think I need a fur coat with cat ears in my life. Whilst the idea of snuggling up inside something so fluffy is totally glorious, I have a heartbreaking feeling that white fur might not be the most practical of materials to wear during a wet Winter. Therefore, I might have to plump for a classic Topshop parka. They're durable, timeless, and easy to style. The only thing stopping me indulging in one is the fact that all 16 year old hipsters are running around in them at the moment, and so looking at parkas can make me a little bit ansty. 

I added the long fur coat and the blazer because I thought they were pretty, and if minimum wage was a little higher I'd like to purchase all of these. For now I shall sit patiently and wait for an ASOS or Topshop promo code to fall in to my lap so that I can pick one of these up guilt-free.

Curly Faux Fur Coat with Cat Ears - ASOS, £56 // Hooded Lightweight Jacket - Topshop, £60.00 // Long Fur Coat - Zara, £79.99 // Standout Blazer Jacket - Forever21, £27.75.

What do you think I should go for - parka or fur? What style of coat are you wearing this Winter?

KJ xo