Floral Find

I'm an absolute sucker for floral patterns, whether it's a delicate ditsy or a bright and bold print. When I went to Stratford upon Avon a few weeks ago, I browsed the shops with my friends. Stratford has such a quaint little town centre full of rustic sweet shops, vintage and antique shops and lots of charity shops. 

I wandered into acorns and saw this dress and fell head over heels in love with - believe it or not- the floral pattern.

The print looks so vintage. The faded deep pinks, greens and creams look timelessly pretty. It ties up around the middle giving you a more defined waist (and just adds a bit of detail). It does scoop very low at the front so I have to wear a bandeau underneath, but that isn't too big of a problem. 

The writing on the label is really hard to read so I'm not sure where it's from, sorry! If I manage to decipher what it says then I'll add it in.

I occasionally do manage to find some brilliant things in charity shops and it makes me feel like I'm helping someone else by buying something from them (a slightly more guilt free way to shop I suppose!) 

I'm still in America at the mo and having an amazing time (I really don't want to leave) but took these pictures and pre-wrote most of this before I went away. I'll be home on Saturday and am ready and raring to get back into my blog! 

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Mall Mooching

Today was a miserable day in Cape Cod. Since the beach and pool seemed to be out of the question, my family and I took a drive to a town called Sandwich (best town name ever, might I add), had some lunch and then came back to the town we're staying in- Hyannis- and had a stroll around the mall. This experience seemed to blind me of the horrible weather outside... Can you tell I love shopping yet? 

I chose to wander around by myself as then I could take my time and gaze in wonderment at all the things I couldn't really afford buy- I do love a good window-shop. 

After having a nose around forever 21, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters and a rather large book shop that I forget the name of, I finally saw sephora. It was like a wonderland of make up goodness with so many beautiful shiny products to look at.

 I couldn't hold this excitement inside; I needed to unload this onto here. Why do we not have Sephora in the UK!? I made a wishlist on my phone of a few higher end things I'd love to buy and hopefully, now that I have a part time job, I might be able to have a splurge on some more expensive things to treat myself once in a while.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x 

Best of Friends

A few days ago, my best friend Ellen sent me this picture. It may sound cliché but it made me realise how lucky I am to have such a brilliant person in my life. She's constantly there to give advice when I need it, pick me up when I'm feeling down and is usually there to have a laugh with (unless she needs one of her 'slob around the house' days). I feel like I often take her friendship for granted so since I know she reads this, thought I'd make a quick post to let her know how much I appreciate her! 

I'm still on holiday at the moment and am missing her a lot, along with a few other people. So Ellen, I love you lots and I have something ready to give you when we both return! 

With my little friendling at prom 

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

OOTD- Pinafore and Florals

On a very sunny, hot and sticky day, all I wanted to wear was shorts and a vest. But seeing as I was going on holiday two days after this (took these photos on the 17th), we were in that phase of 'don't wear any clothes that you want to take on holiday'. So this is what I chose to wear...

Pinafore- Topshop

Crop top- New Look 

Sandals- New Look

Earrings- Internacionale

Bracelets- Tiffany and a personal one

Hope you're enjoying the warmth!

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :) 

Charlie x

Quick 'Off on Holiday' Update

Over the past few days, I thought I was going to quite literally melt. I know other countries are considerably hotter but we're not used to these kind of temperatures in England! 

I'M MEEELTING

 But tomorrow morning, I'm off to the land of the free, aka the USA! I'm so excited and get to spend time with some friends I haven't seen in years, go to the beach, experience new places and revisit some old ones. I don't have a clue what the internet will be like there so I have pre-written one post which will be up in a couple of days. I wanted to write more today and schedule them to go up but I wasn't organised enough and now I need to get to bed as I need to be up at 5am, so apologies for that. I'll be back properly at the start of August, hopefully full of inspiration, looking a bit more freckly or tanned (a girl can dream) and feeling oh so relaxed.

So I'll speak to you properly in two weeks but my past self will do the talking for now.. this feels like such an odd paradox situation.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Bit of a Garnier Obsession

Today I'm back with a bang (metaphorically of course). Recently I've uncovered a new love for Garnier and have bought and tried using these three products.

• Garnier intensive 7 days hydrating lotion with L-Bifidus, for normal skin
• Garnier moisture match for combination to oily skin
• Garnier BB cream, miracle skin perfector 

So I thought I'd have a little chat to you about these little treasures and give three mini reviews of them.

So first of all is the intensive 7 days hydrating lotion with L-Bifidus (didn't have a clue what this was before today, it's a bacteria that acts as a moisture shield). This new garnier product claims to leave skin feeling hydrated for up to 7 days. I have to say, so far I really agree with this statement! I applied this a few days ago after exfoliating my legs and they still feel incredibly soft. Also, it has aloe vera in it, which is one of the main reasons I bought it. I was looking for some after sun but they seem to be quite a bit more expensive, and since aloe vera is cooling and an ingredient in after sun anyway, I thought I'd give this a go. I'll update you on whether this works as after sun when I get back from my holiday. I have fairly normal skin when it comes to my body (not my face) and this is really well tailored to my skin and gives the perfect amount of moisture without leaving skin greasy. Finally, it claims to be fast absorbing and I also agree with this claim- it leaves that feeling of hydration yet isn't sticky which is a problem I have with body creams from brands like soap and glory.

The next garnier product is the garnier moisture match for combination to oily skin. I apply this in the morning after cleansing and toning, before my make up, and also after taking my make up off at night before bed. Most moisturisers are usually advised to be used just once a day, but using this twice daily really works for me. I'm one of those unlucky people who have quite an oily t-zone but fortunately the rest of my skin is fairly normal. I'm so pleased with this moisturiser as it gives my face the moisture it needs to still look and feel healthy but it mattifies the oiliness which is especially appreciated in these warmer days we're having at the moment. It's a very light but at the same time creamy texture and really feels like it cools my skin and doesn't leave it feeling weighed down and clogged up. So I'd definitely recommend this product for people with oily- combination skin.

The third and final garnier product I want to talk about is one I've bought rather recently. I bought this last Monday when I found out that the warmth was set to continue here for a while. I didn't want to have that heavy foundation feeling all the time when it was humid and sweaty (yum). I'd read a lot about BB creams and took the plunge with this one, mainly because it was on offer in boots for around £2/ £3 off and I had some points to spend on my advantage card. I bought it in the shade 'light' and it matches my skin brilliantly. It claims to be '1 product' with '5 solutions', saying that it 'evens skin tone and boosts glow, blurs imperfections, smooths fine lines, 24hr hydration and SPF 15.' I buff it into my skin with my real techniques expert face brush and it really does even my skin tone but doesn't cake my face in make up, meaning I still feel confident that my face looks more presentable but my skin can breathe more in the warmth. I wouldn't say that it boosts glow very noticeably, but it doesn't mattify your skin as much as a regular foundation. I like that it has SPF as my skin is easily damaged by the sun and it saves me having to put suncream on my face (I hate the stickiness of suncream). I wouldn' be able to say that it gives 24hr hydration either, as I don't tend to keep my make up on for 24 hours (and I hope nobody does!). It definitely does blur the imperfections that I have slightly, but concealer is still needed to just provide that extra bit of coverage so that I fee comfortable enough! 

The BB cream on my skin yesterday.. a very warm day indeed!

Ok.. so those reviews weren't as short as I thought they'd be! Apologies if it was a bit too rambly for you, but I hope somebody has found something in this helpful. Garnier now feels like a brand I trust and I'll definitely be having a nose around some more of their products soon.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

A Shocking Sunday

I wanted to return to blogging this weekend full of happiness and excitement. But this morning, I woke up, checked twitter and saw the heartbreaking news that Cory Monteith has died at the age of just 31. 

For anyone who doesn't know who Cory is, he played the character of Finn Hudson in the TV show 'Glee'. He was an amazing actor and singer and his talent inspired so many people I'm sure. I myself am a huge glee fan and even though I'm so saddened by his death, nothing I feel right now can compare to how Lea Michele, Cory's fiancé (who he was rumoured to be marrying in the next few weeks) his family, friends and people he's worked with feel at this time. 

I didn't want to not say anything about Cory's death because he meant a lot to me. This has really drilled it into me that you never know how long you have left with the people you love. I know that how I feel right now doesn't come anywhere close to anyone who's lost a parent, a brother, a sister or any other friend or family member, but we are all allowed to grieve for people even if we didn't know them personally.

R.I.P Cory Monteith, 1982-2013.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Sunny Sunday Update

This weekend was ABSOLUTELY BOILING! I was at work today and yesterday and in the kitchen (I work in a local cafe)  it was a roasting 30 degrees which was far too stuffy for my liking. I got rather hot and bothered and have to wear all black, so it hasn't been a particularly pleasant experience of the lovely weather this weekend. 

I am happy for some sun at last though. I just hope the heat continues for the next couple of weeks before I go on holiday next friday *squeals with excitement*. I'm going on a school trip this week for a few days to a place in Stratford upon Avon with quite a few of my friends, so I can't wait to stroll around the cute little town centre by the river in the sunshine.

Since I am going away for a few days, I'm not going to be able to post anything unfortunately as I wont have access to a laptop and am not sure if I would have enough internet or time to post either. So i'll be back into blogging at the weekend with a few posts I have planned- some reviews, bucket list posts and some summer related things too. 

I'll leave you with a picture of me enjoying the sun with ma copine qui s'appelle Ellie (apologies if you don't understand French but you catch my drift I hope).

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

 REMEMBER YOUR SUNCREAM!

Charlie x

 

Last Night- Prom

Yet again, I have to apologise for not keeping up with my daily schedule that I was aiming to maintain. Over the past few days I've been rather busy and was having a good think about what other things I want to blog about. I've made myself a long list of ideas and feel a lot more prepared to put the effort in now!

So last night, we had our year 11 prom. It was a great night full of happiness, dancing, eating, drinking, chatter and LOTS of photos, some of which I thought I'd share with you now.

With my best friend and my boyfriend.

Left to right- Tara, me, Laura, Ellen

Laura is one of my favourite gingers

My beautiful friends before the prom at a friend's house

I'll be getting back into the proper swing of things tomorrow now that I have a plan of what I'm going to be writing about.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x