Natural Beauty Wishlist

Having struggled with my skin over the last few years I've gradually turned to more 'natural' products. I know there are lots of different definitions of what 'natural' actually is and some brands just use this as a buzzword, when really their products aren't actually that 'natural'. I guess you have to do some research (there are some fab natural beauty bloggers out there!) and decide what matters to you in an ingredients list then go from there. 

There are some amazing brands out there that produce great effective products without any nasties, above is my wish list of brands and products I'm itching to get my mitts on!

1. Dr.Hauschka Mascara £18.50        2. The Organic Pharmacy Manuka Face Cream £39.95        3. Tata Harper Purifying Cleanser £45        

4. Luna Sleeping Night Oil £85        5. RMS 'Un' Powder £28        6. The Organic Pharmacy Seaweed Clay Mask £37.95        

7. Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque £27

Anything Is Possible If You Have Enough Nerve #QOTD

Cover Trends #Thrillers

One of my favourite things about having studied a creative subject is that now I am way more visually aware of patterns and trends in everyday life. Book covers are a great example, the design within genres are often similar giving visual clues to potential readers as to what the book is about.

Above there are just a small selection of Thrillers that feature a black background with white and an accent colour. To my mind the black represents the mysterious unknown of where the story will take you, the white gives great contrast and legibility, finally the pop of bright colour shows the unexpected turns within the book and helps to stand out on the shelf... or Amazon page!

Little Miss Sunshine / Poster Re-Design

Books I Want To Read

You know those books you hear or read about and make a mental note to read then you go to find a new book and immediately forget them all? Well this is my list so next time I don't forget.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Who are you?
What have we done to each other?
These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?

Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes
Drawing on over 20 years of wisdom, advice and expertise to show real women how to make the most of makeup’s physically and emotionally transformative powers. Covering everything from teenage skin to mature beauty, botox to bridal make-up, sickness to good health, it's a work that is part instruction manual, part love letter to makeup – in a writing style that combines beauty editor, feminist and painfully funny best friend.

#Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso
At seventeen, Sophia Amoruso decided to forgo continuing education to pursue a life of hitchhiking, dumpster diving, and petty thievery. Now, at twenty-nine, she is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Nasty Gal, a $100+ million e-tailer that draws A-list publicity and rabid fans for its leading-edge fashion and provocative online persona. Her story is extraordinary—and only part of the appeal of #GIRLBOSS.
She’s proof that you can be a huge success without giving up your spirit of adventure or distinctive style. As she writes, "I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t let The Man get to you. OK? Cool. Then let’s do this.”

Swallow This: Serving Up The Food Industry's Darkest Secrets by Joanna Blytheman
A fascinating exploration of the food processing industry and its products – not just the more obvious ready meals, chicken nuggets and tinned soups, but the less overtly industrial – washed salads, smoothies, yoghurts, cereal bars, bread, fruit juice, prepared vegetables. Forget illegal, horse-meat-scandal processes, every step in the production of these is legal, but practised by a strange and inaccessible industry, with methods a world-away from our idea of domestic food preparation, and obscured by technical speak, unintelligible ingredients manuals, and clever labelling practices.
Determined to get to the bottom of the impact the industry has on our food, Joanna Blythman has gained unprecedented access to factories, suppliers and industry insiders, to give an utterly eye-opening account of what we’re really swallowing.

Get The Glow by Madeleine Shaw
Nutritional health coach to the stars Madeleine Shaw shows you that eating well can easily become a way of life, resulting in the hottest, healthiest and happiest you. Healthy eating shouldn't be about fad diets, starvation or deprivation. Instead, Madeleine's philosophy is simple: ditch the junk and eat foods that heal your gut so you can shine from head to toe and really get the glow.

Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
1976: Peggy Hillcoat is eight. She spends her summer camping with her father, playing her beloved record of The Railway Children and listening to her mother's grand piano, but her pretty life is about to change.
Her survivalist father, who has been stockpiling provisions for the end which is surely coming soon, takes her from London to a cabin in a remote European forest. There he tells Peggy the rest of the world has disappeared.
Her life is reduced to a piano which makes music but no sound, a forest where all that grows is a means of survival. And a tiny wooden hut that is Everything.

The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett
What if you had said yes . . . ?
Eva and Jim are nineteen, and students at Cambridge, when their paths first cross in 1958. Jim is walking along a lane when a woman approaching him on a bicycle swerves to avoid a dog.
What happens next will determine the rest of their lives.
We follow three different versions of their future - together, and apart - as their love story takes on different incarnations and twists and turns to the conclusion in the present day.
The Versions of Us is an outstanding debut novel about the choices we make and the different paths that our lives might follow.
What if one small decision could change the rest of your life?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads:
'Opens at Nightfall, Closes at Dawn'
As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears.
'Le Cirque des Rêves'
The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter.

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins
Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy.
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. 
Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar.
Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train…

Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Meet Maud.
Maud is forgetful. She makes a cup of tea and doesn't remember to drink it. She goes to the shops and forgets why she went. Sometimes her home is unrecognizable - or her daughter Helen seems a total stranger.
But there's one thing Maud is sure of: her friend Elizabeth is missing. The note in her pocket tells her so. And no matter who tells her to stop going on about it, to leave it alone, to shut up, Maud will get to the bottom of it.
Because somewhere in Maud's damaged mind lies the answer to an unsolved seventy-year-old mystery. One everyone has forgotten about. 
Everyone, except Maud . . .

I Carried A Watermelon #QOTD

Wanderlust / Top Five

In my 23 years I've been lucky enough to travel and experience different cultures, it is fair to say I well and truly have the travel bug or to use a fancier (more pintersty term) wanderlust. Here are my top five places I want to travel to/experience.

1. Santorini, blue and white, sun, sea and sand, plus I've been to Greece before and the people are lovely.
2. Australia, pretty sure this is on most Brits list of places and the sheer size means there is plenty to explore.
3. Curaçao awesome architecture and beautiful beaches... I'm sold!
4. Amsterdam, this is completely inspired by Rosie's posts on her trip there. The architecture looks amazing, museums fascinating and the thousands upon thousands of tulips look breathtaking.
5. Road trip, not technically a place but one of my bucket list items is to road trip across America.

Look out for more in depth posts on each place coming soon...

(Images from Pinterest)

Château De Chillon / Switzerland

At the end of 2014 I hopped on a plane and headed back to Switzerland for the first time in over five years. Having spent the first 8 years of my
life there I couldn't wait to head back and be a tourist for the first time.

One of the places we visited was The Château De Chillon, and let me tell you the train ride there from Geneva alone was worth the trip! The view
over the Lac Léman of the mountains was jaw dropping. Once we got to there we walked across a bridge to this island castle and explored this Medieval castle.

June Blooms

One of my favourite things to photograph are flowers. I find their combination of colour and design irresistible, I can never resist cracking out my camera and snapping away once Spring hits and everything begins to bloom. These are a few I've snapped this month.

Bedroom Inspiration

Having recently moved into a house that needs some (by which I mean A LOT) of updating basically means Pinterest is my new BFF. For my
bedroom I'm lusting after white bedding in a variety of textures with pink and grey accents and gold details.

(Images from Pinterest)

1. Metallic Thread Stitch Throw £40        2. Linen Cushion Cover £12.99 each        3. Gold and White Ceramic Candle Holder £9.99     
4. Ribbon Light Shade £23        5. Clear Lamp Base £10        6. White Double Bedstead £475        7. Glass Vase £3.99        8. Neom Candle £45        9. Gold Photo Frame £9.99        10. Grey and White Cushion Cover £38        11. White Bedside Table £175        12. Gold Knobs £4.99     
13.  Egyptian Cottom Bed Set with Grey Detail £59 

Countryside Walk / June 2015

Find Its Way #QOTD

Dungarees

I've become dungaree obsessed, I mean who doesn't want to dress in something they wore when they were five? Judging by Pinterest and Style 

blogs I'm not the only one. Whether they're worn casually with converse and a basic tee or with a silk shirt and heels I love them.

Here are some I've got my eye on...

1. Mango £34.99        2. Whistles £120        3. New Look £24.99        4. ASOS £45        5. Topshop £38

Don't Look Back #QOTD

Creativity Is Not A Competition #QOTD

Sunset in the Country

One of my favourite things about England is the countryside, especially in Spring, plus who doesn't love a sunset? These are some photos I took back at the start of Spring before all the trees burst to life, when the ground was still crisp in the morning and there was a chill in the air.