The Body Shop: A Few Favourites

For me, The Body Shop is one of my favourite places for skincare and the odd bit of makeup, as it's cheap, natural and really works! As a student, I find it hard to get effective skincare that actually works, but isn't super expensive, and as a beauty lover I often find myself pining after the expensive brands!

But the thing I love about the Body Shop is that a lot of their products match or even perform better than some of the prestigious brands, something that I love not having the money to spend on a £30-£40 moisturiser!

So here are a few of my favourite buys and essentials from The Body Shop, that I never seem to be without!

Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil- £10

This has been a more recent purchases but one I'd been lusting after for months, I finally picked it up a couple of weeks ago and I can honestly say it's one of my favourite skincare products I own! 
This so easily breaks down makeup with only a couple of pumps, massaged into the face and then wiped off with a warm flannel. It's lightweight, easy to use and leaves my dry skin feeling moisturised but clean. 

Even if you do suffer with oily skin, this is fantastic because it doesn't leave any sticky residue on your face and doesn't strip the skin. I actually look forward to the end of the day so I can use this product, which I never ever thought I'd say! I'm in love!

Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash- £5

This face wash has been in my collection for a while, and although I don't use this everyday, I always find myself reaching for this when I'm not sure what else to use. 

This face wash contains and smells quite strongly of Tea Tree- something I love, which makes it perfect for purifying clogged up skin, yet surprisingly it doesn't strip the skin or leave it dry due to it's creaminess. Therefore again this is another product that would be great for both dry skin or oily skin, as it isn't drying yet clears the skin nicely! This wash is also great if you suffer with blemishes and acne, as Tea Tree is a fantastic ingredient for clearing the skin, great for those cheeky breakouts!

Vitamin E Overnight Serum-In-Oil- £13

I love this overnight serum for a boost of hydration for when my skin feels dull and dry. This serum is a lightweight oil but gives a great amount of moisture to the skin. 
I use this before my moisturiser and after I've cleansed, and I really notice a difference in the way my skin feel the next morning. Vitamin E is also great for healing, so would be perfect if you suffer with breakouts and blemishes to help repair the skin. 

Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream- £13
On the same par with the serum, this moisturiser is great for dehydrated skin, as it's thick, rich but still sinks in quickly and doesn't leave any sticky residue on the skin. I reach for this more in the winter months when my skin is very dry, but I still love using it once or twice a week throughout spring and summer to help repair and hydrate my skin. 
The texture of this cream is very buttery and creamy and I love the feeling I get when I use this product, so overall it's perfect for those of you with dehydrated skin.

Honey Bronze Powder- £13
As I have very pale skin, I often find it hard to get a bronzer that gives me a warm glow, without making me look orange and fake- so when I found this I was so happy! It's a lovely soft powder that gives a nice, warm tone to the skin, without looking cakey or orange.
This has tiny flecks of golden glitter throughout, so its great for boosting radiance, but isn't so shiny that you couldn't contour if you prefer to do that! The colour range is also great, with 6 shades, so there's something to suit every type of skin tone too!

What are some of your Body Shop favourites? 
Have you tried any of the products I talked about? Let me know in the comments below!

Chloé
xo 

*This is not a sponsored post, all products were bought with my own money and all opinions expressed are mine.*

University 1st Year: A Look Back, Tips and Tricks

This year is honestly going so fast- I can't believe it's June already! 

So last week I officially finished my first year at University, it's gone so quickly and although at times it's been difficult, I've loved it!

I study fashion Marketing and Branding at Nottingham Trent university, and I'm honestly so glad that I took the plunge and went there, the city is amazing, I love my course and I've met some great people. I actually suffer quite badly with social anxiety, so for me going to university was massive step I was worried I wouldn't be able to do, but I feel so much more independent and happier for doing it. 

Here are some of the things I've realised from my first year of university:

It's not all smiles;
One of the main things I realised when going to uni, was that the experience wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, filled with an endless amount of new people to meet, and constantly doing exciting things. For a lot of my time, I found myself bored, as you have much more independent time to study and research work, even if that's something you do, you might still found yourself trawling through Netflix hoping to find something to watch!

Another thing I realised was that I really missed home, I'm really close to my family, and even though I was only around 45 minutes away from my family home, I still found it really difficult adjusting to being alone every day, combine that with not having tons to do in the day, it made me really homesick. 
If you're preparing to go to university, I'd really recommend getting some home comforts, like teddies, favourite foods and even decorations to help you feel settled in and less homesick when at university, it really helped me relax knowing I had a comforting meal and a nicely decorated flat!

Being alone really isn't that bad;
Another thing I really got used to was just having alone time and being independent, again being close to my parents, this was something I had to get used to! But towards the end, I really enjoyed shopping, sitting in coffee shops and even just doing work alone, its great for clearing your thoughts and just generally de-stressing if you're tense or worried. 

Budget buys are your best friend;
I can honestly say, that in times of need, supermarket own branded buys are going to be a lifesaver for when you run low on your loan or don't get much money from your parents. Things like pasta, noodles, and even meat and vegetables really don't have huge differences from being own brand, or the best branded product. So don't have any shame in getting some 30p pasta or 10p packet noodles, it'll save your life saving money on food, especially if your priority is going out and having a good time!

Another trick I learned was substituting certain ingredients for something else, the biggest example of this and something that I've grown to love, is Quorn. 
Now I'm sure you'e thinking that Quorn is something made by the Devil and that you'd never touch it even if you were dying (a little dramatic I know), and that's pretty much  what I thought, but one of my flatmates introduced me to it, and I've never looked back! It's much cheaper than chicken, stores amazingly and can go in pretty much any dish, so its perfect for saving you money, and gives you a decent meal for when all you've got is potato smilies and tomato soup- something I've experienced first hand! 

Everyone else is in the same boat;
If you're worried about going to university and not having friends, family or just anyone at all that you know, just remember that everyone else will be feeling the same! We all start out not really knowing anyone on our course, and even in the flat we live in, so don't be too worried if you're scared of not having any friends or having anyone to talk to. 
Within a week you'll have so many people to talk to, and it'll be likely that someone (whether on your course or in your flat) has something in common with you, that might be feeling homesick, your favourite book/film series, or just your love of a certain food. 

Have any of you been to University? Or are any of you going? What things did you learn? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Chloé 
xo 

Kiehl's: More Than Meets the Eye

So before I start off this blog post, I'd just like to give a huge apology for not blogging this past month and a half, as I'm sure some of you can relate, it's that super stressful time at university and I've been drowning in work!

Talking of university, I wanted to talk about a brand I focused on for my last assignment, which was a brand book- a small book basically explaining the essence and personality of a brand we could choose. 

It was a really fun project and I enjoyed every minute of it. The brand I chose to focus on was Kiehl's, a historic skincare brand hailing from New York. 

I'm sure for those who have heard of the brand you'll know it's a luxurious, well loved brand for its great results and effective products, but for me that was all I knew, and I came to find out it really is a fascinating brand. 

Founded by John Kiehl in 1851, the company actually started out as a small apothecary, selling herbal remedies for minor illnesses, and a few select Kiehl's products. This then rocketed into selling a vast collection of amazing products, gaining them worldwide success and a hoard of loyal customers!

One part of the brand that grabbed my attention, is that around 40% of the brand's clientele is actually male, which is really rare to see in skincare brands, as the majority of brands are either solely focused on makes or females. 
This actually gave me a lot of respect for the brand, as not only do they cater for different skin types, for different ages, but they also cater for different genders, a very difficult thing to do successfully! 

Another point I found really interesting was how the brand markets themselves, and doing a marketing course this was an important feature to look into. 
Since the beginning, the brand has never physically marketed in terms of adverts, flyers or features in newspapers/magazines, something around 90% of the beauty industry ends to do. 

Instead they turn to their customers and let them do the marketing for them, a very risky move and something not many brands, if not any at all would consider. This is through the use of generous samples given with every purchase, and simply word of mouth recommendations. Also, another thing to notice is how detailed their product reviews are, they ask for the age, gender, and even skin concern of the customer, giving other a great advantage if doing a bit of research on a product!  

But I suppose this is why the brand has stood the test of time, and delivered really consistent products to loving customers. 

I would just like to point out that I am in no way being sponsored by the brand, I just wanted to share some interesting points from my assignment that I thought others would find interesting too!

Have you tried anything from Kiehl's? And would you like to?

Chloé
xo 

Fashion in Film

Within my university course, we tend to watch a few documentaries to exemplify some of the topic we learn in our studies, some of them great and others pretty boring, but recently, for research but also just for enjoyment, I discovered a few of my own documentaries on Netflix - a favourite of mine. 

These are great for those of you who not only love fashion, but who are also just interested in the topics of magazines, marketing, advertising, high fashion, and even journalism, and I'd highly recommend them to anyone. 

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf's- 

This is perfect for those of you that not only love fashion, and of course shopping, but also those of you that love New York, and everything to do with business in general.

This documentary not only lets you into the luxurious doors of the department store, but also shows the history of partners Bergdorf and Goodman, and the evolution of the store throughout the decades. 

Another great feature of the documentary is how its sectioned into certain topics, meaning there's bound to be something everyone will find interesting. 
It looks into the specific designers who feature in the store, and the way they managed to get their way into the department store, the window designers, giving you a detailed view into the process of creating and completing a Christmas store window, the store assistants, the established celebrity customers throughout the decades, and stories/anecdotes from long standing employees.

The September Issue- 

This is a great insightful documentary based upon Anna Wintour and the lead up to the pinnacle September issue of Vogue, a real calendar moment in the fashion industry. 

With famous faces appearing such as the late Oscar De La Renta, Karl Lagerfeld, Coco Rocha, Lily Cole and even Jean-Paul Gaultier, the documentary offers a great range of celebrities that I'm sure everyone will know!

I really enjoyed this as you get to take a peek onto the fabulous life of the ever allusive Anna Wintour, something which as a fashion student I've always wanted to know about.

We get to hear about her past, her younger life and all the way through her (very envious) career as Editor in Chief at Vogue. it's also really interesting to see the other employees throughout the company, from photographers, editors, interns, stylists etc, and get their views at what working at the most iconic fashion magazine is like. 

Overall, these are super interesting and helpful if you're a fashion student, and are fantastic for the general fashion and shopping lovers! Plus another factor is that they're accessible to pretty much everyone, as they're shown on Netflix- obviously if you aren't a Netflix user then it may be harder but you where I'm going with this!

Have you seen the documentaries before? And would you give them a watch? 

Chloe

xo

Mother's Day Celebrations: Homemade Afternoon Tea

Now I know this post is a little late as Mother's Day has passed here in England, but I thought it would be a great post for those of you who either haven't yet celebrated Mother's Day, or are just looking for a fun birthday or party idea for friends and family. 
So this year for mother's day, we decided to do a home made Afternoon Tea as a cheap but also fun way to celebrate the occasion with the family. 

We made mini chocolate and lemon cakes, all types of sandwiches and of course, the classic tea and scones combo! The food was really lovely and it's a great alternative to the classic but foolproof buffets, as you eat as much as you want and have everything you like right in front of you! 
We also bought some simple card cake stands that were super easy to put together and are great for if you're looking for some lovely, cheap stands for those bakers in the family, mine are from TK Maxx.

We borrowed beautiful floral china from my grandma and dressed the table with vintage cloth, flowers and plates, it was a really simple but easy concept to pull off and I definitely think its a fabulous idea for parties, and other celebrations. 

So although this was a fairy short one, I hope some of you find it interesting and would maybe be inspired to give it a try in the near future!

What did you do for Mother's Day this year? Do you like the idea of afternoon tea? Let me know in the comments! 

Chloé 

xo

Trend Alert: Mom/Boyfriend Jeans

Recently I've been noticing a really common trend not just on the Fashion Week Streets, but also in popular blogs and on the high street, that skinny jeans seem to be stepping out of the limelight- finally something different to the ripped jeans we've seen everywhere!
It now appears that the Mom and Boyfriend style cut of Jean is becoming so much more popular- obviously they've been around for a long time, a classic cut for the girl who wants to add a bit of casualness or grunge to an everyday look, but for me, I'm still not convinced. I've always been worried they wouldn't be flattering and not fit in the right way, jeans are such an investment piece and it can be hard to find that 'perfect' pair!

Ever since I've consciously chosen my outfits, I've adored skinny jeans, they add length and shape to the legs, go with literally everything, and obviously come in a huge choice of colours and prints, not to mention that they can be dressed up with heels or be plain and comfy with some flats. 
But as of late, I've been considering delving into the uncharted territory of a different style, the looser fitting style of Mom/Boyfriend jeans look really versatile, and again like my beloved skinnies, can be dressed up or down, so maybe I should give them a go and take the bull by the horns! 

Now call me crazy, but I've never actually invested in a pair of Topshop jeans, not the Joni, or the Leigh or any other style you can name. I've always thought they were overpriced, I mean as a university student on a budget, paying £40 for a pair of jeans makes me cry inside, but there must be a reason they're so loved by literally everyone I meet? But I've been more inclined to try a pair as the boyfriend slouchy style is becoming popular, so maybe I might just do it, as everyone knows, fashion is about trying new things, breaking the rules! 

Should I leave my skinnies at the door and go for it?
Would you buy a pair or do you already have some? Let me know in the comments section below! 

Chloé

xo