Gabrielle Aplin

So, last Friday night was spent standing beside Mara and Shona in a shivering queue outside the Picturehouse venue in Edinburgh. Back in March (when the sun still shone) we had all bought tickets to go and see the lovely Gabrielle Aplin here (after hearing Human and Keep Pushing Me, I was hooked). It's safe to say I was excited. Once inside and de-frosted, we were welcomed with the dreamy vocals of Jack Savoretti, who if you were like me and hadn't heard him before are seriously missing out. Think Paolo Nutini meets Bob Dylan, with the looks of a Dolce and Gabbana model. I know, right?

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 Gabrielle herself was amazing and completely exceeded my expectations. In the age of auto-tune it is rare to find an artist who sounds better live than they do recorded. This was definitely true of her. Angel-voiced singer, no more, that girl can belt out a tune. We were all pleasantly surprised with a great cover of 'Wrecking Ball' which she most definitely did justice. And were lucky enough to meet her afterwards. Down to earth doesn't even cover it. She was so kind and I kind of wanted to ask her if we could be best friends, but decided against it when I saw the size of the security guards...

xo

I guess Sir, if you say so, some of us just like to read.

 Stalking my own blog the other day (my schedule is packed, you can tell) I noticed a serious lack of 'outfit' posts. Considering this blog is marketed as a 'fashion' one I feel I have done wrong by it as of late. So to clear my conscience (and because I realised I hadn't yet given this gorgeous skirt it's well deserved debut) I photographed my first fully outfit post in a while. This actually happens to also be one of my 'go to' outfits. I absolutely love pairing this skirt with a plain knit, chunky boots and fitting accessories. It is very Autumnal and is surprisingly warm for those crisp Autumn days. Yay for a/w fashion trends.

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It is very easy during colder days to subconsciously stick to wearing trousers and leggings and forget about dresses and skirts. I encourage you to brave it, and wear thick tights and a boyfriend coat instead. Some of the most beautiful, cosy outfits, consist of thick tights, chunky boots and a delicate skirt.

 Skirt- Urban Outfitters   Jumper- H&M   Scarf- Bought at Market   Shoes- River Island

xo

Skincare products I love

I should probably start off first by saying that nobody has completely perfect skin. Unless you are Beyonce` or Taylor Swift, it won't happen. But there are a lot of things you can do to greatly improve the skin you have. I should also warn you that I am in no way a skin expert and the products that I love and that work for my skin may not be good for yours. It just depends on the 'type' of skin you have. I have mainly dry combination skin, prone to redness, so if that sounds like yours then these products will be sure to help out (unless you have allergies, research the ingredients if you have bad allergies). If you have oily or spot prone skin then some of these products will work on you too. It's just about testing and trying to find out what works for you.

 Elizabeth Arden- Eight Hour Cream                                                    Dermalogica- Daily Microfoliant

                                 

Leave on skin overnight and wake up with radiant, new skin.                                       Removes dry skin, leaves skin soft.

 

Lush- Sacred Truth Facemask                                                                  Dr Renaud- Rasberry Soft Cream

                                                                                                                                     
A great facemask for those prone to redness.                                            The richest cream I have ever tried. Apply generously

 

Clinque- Instant Facial Masque                                                              Primae Skincare-  Smoothie Serum

Good for all skin types. Leaves skin looking fresh.                                               Very soothing on skin. Hydrates and brightens         


 xo  

America remastered

So i found myself sitting the other day and wishing I was back in the sunny USA. This could be thanks to miss Bluebell who is currently wandering the streets of the big apple. She sucks. So anyway, I thought that I would share with you (again) some of my absolute favourite outfits from my time across the pond, not a very creative idea for a post I know, but I promise to put up something more interesting soon :))

xo

And yet another 'i went on a walk' post..

It's official. Autumn is here. I now have the luxury of wearing way too much knitwear, downing warm, spiced drinks (as I type this I am sipping on a chai green tea and my word it is beautiful) and going out of my way to step on crunchy leaves like an excitable 5 year old boy. It is also official that my blog has now turned into a 'hikers guide to walking' type thing. So I am now re-christening my a style mosaic as 'walking boot swag'. But seriously, I promise to try and stop with the walking posts. Minus this one :)

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The other day the lovely Alice, Shona and I went on a walk amongst the amber leaves and fallen trees (that rhymed...) Chai lattes and cameras in hand. It was all very blog worthy, hence this post. The air however appeared to have a somewhat disturbing reaction to our faces, as it appears to be almost impossible for us not to be pulling them. Oh dear...

 Jeans - Topshop    Cardigan - Jigsaw    Top - H&M    Boots - Hoggs    Socks - Vintage    Bag - American Eagle

 xo

Currently on my playlist...

This appears to be the year of gigs for me. I have been lucky enough to get the opportunity to see Haim, Gabrielle Aplin and Miss Taylor Swift *squeals*. So my playlist as of late has been quite packed with music from those lovely three. However I have been enjoying some new artists I stumbled across on spotify, other blogs and funnily enough watching s/s catwalks. So here is my playlist:

1. Kodaline - Love like this

2. Haim - Better off

3. Misty Miller - Happy Together

4. Oho - 9th pawn

5. The Civil Wars - The one that got away

6. Nina Nesbitt - Way in the world

7. Rachel Platten - 1,000 ships

8. Mike Dignam - Young

xo

Back to a first-glance feeling on Newyork time

 I have absolutely no idea what is going on with my mouth or knees here. Oh dear...

Having a lazy day every Sunday once in a while is important. Mine was today. And I have to confess to spending the day with a crate of popcorn and movies to keep me 'going' and probably eating my body mass again in weight. Glamorous, I know. But lazy days are underrated. I think it is far 'cooler' to be a slob once in a while than to be forever fully-booked. Rants aside, lazy day outfits are the best too. If I am honest, on a legit lazy day I would be wearing baggy pyjama bottoms and a Taylor Swift tee. But sometimes the classier side of me insists on getting into something that resembles an outfit. Lazy day outfits are effortless and easy but (if you are lucky) still manage to look great. Yay.

 Jeans - Topshop(customised)   Jumper - Topshop    Ring - Urban Outifitters

xo

Karlies Kookies

I feel as though i definitely don't incorporate enough recipes into my blog posting schedule. It's not that I don't ever bake, merely that when I do I am so excited to get them in the oven and then my stomach, that I tend to forget to take pictures. However this time I remembered, which should be celebrated :)
Karlie Kloss has for a while now been my absolute favourite model and top role model. Not only does she have an other-worldy beauty to her and is one of the most in demand models of the past five years, she is still aspiring to go to medical school and has set up her own COOKIE CHARITY. I know. A charity that sells cookies and donates the profits to FEED , she is a genius. And the cookies just happen to taste great and be healthy alternatives to usual ones too. So inspired by Miss Kloss, my lovely friend shona and we set out to bake our own 'healthy' cookies.

What you will need

• 2 cups of almond flour
• 1 cup (gluten-free) whole oats
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (preferably more :)
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp xantham gum (alternatively 1 egg)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup agave (alternatively 1/2 cup golden syrup)

First, preheat the oven to 150 (c) and grease or line a baking tray with paper. Lightly toast the almonds in a frying pan and then let them cool. Now mix your dry ingredients (including the chocolate and almonds) together in a bowl, with a wooden spoon before adding the liquid ingredients in and stirring well. 

Once mixed evenly, scoop the dough out onto the tray into individual, little (for want of a better word) blobs. Cook them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Now leave them to cool before inhaling delicately placing them on a pretty plate and sharing them with everyone you know.

xo

My Autumn Wishlist

I am one of those really annoying types who get excited for Christmas in March. So that means getting excited for Autumn in June is usually what happens. Above all it's the fashions that come around at this time that excite me the most. There is nothing I love more than a big-knit and chunky boots. Autumn (or fall if you are American) seems to be the perfect time of year for me. My wish list (Wantworthy) is overflowing with gorgeous pieces that I vow to buy. So I thought I'd share these little beauties with you in the ever-exciting form of a wish list...

So from left to right:

1. Velvet dress - Asos        2. Dip-die jumper - Vero Moda         3. Plat headband - Topshop 

4. Popsicle sweater - Wildfox         5. Boots - Urban Outfitters        6. Sweater dress - Asos

7. Big knit scarf - Asos        8. Jacket - Free People              9. Floral skorts - Dahlia

xo