Prints and textures 1.

Prints and textures 1.

It is usually a repetitive tale of black, and that is all as far as my style is concerned. Since it has been spring and summer, and surprising enough it has actually been quite pleasant for weather in Britain, I decided to buy a lot more clothing items with more colour and quirkiness. I selected these items from my hauls of shopping I have done in these past few months as I feel that they are my favourite and I love the prints and textures of them so much.

Blue tile print "Leigh" jeans:

I believe you would have seen these jeans before, either on others when you are out and about or on other blog posts. I have seen these tile print jeans worn by so many women and worn in so many different ways. I fell in love with the print straight away. I think it is so girly and kind of ditsy! There is the option to have them in a washed black colour, however I thought I would be different and go for the blue. I did worry when I received them that I wouldn't be able to find a lot of things to pair with them. I couldn't have been more wrong. I feel like you can put these jeans with many different colours, many different types of shoes and even jackets (for the colder months sadly ahead). Even though I would say that these jeans are quite summery looking, I still think they would look just as great with jumpers and converses or little ankle boots when autumn/winter comes back to haunt us. Click here to purchase your own!

Fluffy space dye jumper:

ASOS sales really do make me crumple. I was browsing through and spotted this short sleeved jumper, it jumped out at me! They have labelled it as "space dye" but the first thing I thought when I saw it was "it looks like a fluffy unicorn jumper!". I sounded just like Agnes from Despicable Me hehe. The colours in the jumper bring so much fun into your outfit. I thought it was unique and I just had to have it. The quality is amazing, it is super snug. Paired with a simple black leather jacket it looks ace. Click here to purchase your own!

Dogtooth leggings: 

It's the return of the dogtooth print! When I brought these leggings home, my mum said that she had skirt that she adored in this print when she was my age. The dogtooth print has been a popular, trendy print for years and now it is coming back into fashion again. I thought that these leggings were so different.. even though they are from Topshop so that means a lot of women will also have them soon. But they are so noticeable and can be paired with whatever you desire. They are the sort of thing that can be paired with almost anything and look awesome. I am even tempted to wear these next time I go on a night out, as they are so warm but still daring. Click here to purchase your own!

- Kat Melladay x

Outstanding Orange!

Outstanding Orange!

Shade: Infrared.

Shade: Mango.

This summer, it has been all about the colour Orange! Orange was never one of my top favourite colours, however it has brightened up my summer this year. I thought I would pick out a few little orange things that I have been loving these past couple of months to show you. 

Tangle Teezer: 

I never really took much notice on the type of hairbrush I used, it was just something I didn't take into consideration. Yet at the same time I am forever trying new products, like conditioners, to try and help my hairs condition. I had read reviews about these teezers and thought I would try one for myself. I have not gone back to a traditional shaped hair brush since! Holding the teezer in the palm of your hand is so much easier than holding a heavy hairbrush by its handle. I have noticed the big bonus of having this brush, that it doesn't seem break my ends as easily as the traditional, cheap hair brushes did. This is what will keep me using a teezer if nothing else! I chose this funky orange and yellow coloured teezer but there are a variety of different colours and sizes to choose from. At approx £10 per standard size teezer they are probably more than you would usually spend on a hairbrush, but I am still loving using mine. To me they look like little jelly beans hehe.

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm:

My lips have been very dry recently for some reason, so I just wanted to buy a cheap and cheerful new lip balm to add to my big collection. I am always trying new lip balms. You can always rely on me to have at least 3 of them in my handbag.. when I suppose I do only need one. I chose the classic honey flavour, I just wanted a plain lip balm as I have lots already that are fancy with different flavours and different tints. This one does the job! It is quite a thick balm and stays on my lips for quite a while before having to re-apply it. The smell of it is gorgeous too.

Billy & Me by Giovanna Fletcher:

I am yet to start reading this book as I am currently reading "Paper towns" by John Green, which I will be sure to write a book review about (it is really good). I thought I would include this book though as the cover fits in nicely with my orange theme and it sounds like a book that I am going to really enjoy. 

Blurb - " Sophie May has a secret. One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop. But then she meets the gorgeous Billy - an actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world. Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation? "

Topshop Lipstick:

I think all of the beauty bloggers that I have either watched on YouTube or seen their blogs have this shade of lipstick for this summer from Topshop. If you do not already know, it is called "Infrared" and as you can see it is a red lipstick but with a strong tint of orange running through it. So I guess you could call it a dark orange, rather than a neon orange. This is what I really love about this shade. It is not too over the top but it is still the orange that I wanted for my lips this summer. The Topshop lipsticks feel so nice on your lips and are very pigmented. A tip I would advise, would be to make sure your lips are in perfect condition before wearing this lipstick. Make sure you dont have any cracks or dryness on your lips, they need to be very smooth otherwise this lipstick shows up all the imperfections! (now you have to treat yourself to the Burt's Bees lip balm too!).

Barry M Gelly Nail Varnish:

These are my favourite nail varnishs to purchase. I have so many Barry M nail varnishes now I should probably stop buying them, but I doubt I will. I must buy another one that I totally need every payday at least. One of my favourite colours out of the vibrant gelly range is this orange which is called "Mango". It looks beautiful on your fingers and toes! It is the perfect orange and it would be perfect for if you are lucky enough to go on vacation this summer. However if you're not this year, this colour would also be perfect to brighten up a dull looking summers day here in sunny Britain.

Do you have any orange must-haves for this summer?

- Kat Melladay x

Birmingham shopping haul.

Birmingham shopping haul.

The other day I actually had a quite spontaneous moment, which is rare for me. Things at home in my life were starting to all get on top of me a bit and overwhelm me. I was desperate for some time just to myself. I wanted to be alone for at least a day without having to think about friends, family, career related issues anything. Just myself, alone with my own thoughts, a bit of independence for the day. What better excuse did I need to go for a shopping day? So I decided to do some research on shopping centres in different cities which I had not been to before. The "Bullring" shopping centre in Birmingham appeared, and had many shops that I would love to browse through. Therefore I booked my train tickets for the next day, and off I went!

I love train journeys. I haven't met many people that agree with me on that, but I find them so relaxing. I love looking at all the countryside and buildings out the windows and reading my book. I thought that I would be really nervous and perhaps, quite frightened travelling all the way to Birmingham by myself. Having to change trains and have no one around who knew me. However, to my great surprise I was absolutely fine! I was amazed by how big the Bullring centre is. There are three floors of many great shops inside, but there are also hundreds of shops outside as well which is classed as part of the Bullring! 

My first stop was my favourite, Topshop. Compared to the sale section in my Topshop back home, it was incredible. Even though I didn't find anything in the sale there this time that I fanced, I will be sure to go back there again when I know there will be a big Topshop sale. I did purchase some lovely green, flowered trousers. I thought they would be great for any occasion, whether it is going out at night, going for a meal or just for casual wear during the day. I could dress them for both the warmer and colder months and they can be worn with quite a few different colours. I also picked up an elephant top. This was one of those moments where you see something in a store, and instantly HAVE to have it. So that wasn't questioned. During the day I went into the Disney Store, which was wonderful as always. Sadly we do not have one of these stores where I live so I always get a bit too excited when I find one. Of course I had to buy an adorable Dumbo elephant to take back with me! When I went to explore what was outside, I discovered the massive Primark. I only got one top but I think it is totally me. The colour really seems to suit my skin-tone and hair colour and it is a top which, like the Topshop trousers, can be worn both dressed down and up. As always it was a classic, Primark bargain at £6.

I went to so many stores there, the store I spent most of my time in was Waterstones. At first I did not realize that all of the store was Waterstones, I thought the top stories of the store might have been accommodation. When I went inside I soon realized and then I spent most of my day in there. As you can see I only purchased one book, "Anna and the french kiss" by Stephanie Perkins for my train journey back home. However there were just so many books to look at and discover in there. Again, in my hometown the Waterstones is not very big so this one was something else to me. Birmingham is very busy, full of so many people. Being inside Waterstones was so peaceful and quiet, just what I wanted from this day.

It is safe to conclude that I spent quite a bit of money on my day in Birmingham, however it was a fantastic day. I did not think that I would be able to have so much fun on my own, but I really did. It is definitely a great place to visit, especially when the sales are on. I know where I'll be going when it is Christmas shopping time.. or when I want to have a book haul!

Topshop Green Trousers: click here to buy!
Topshop Elephant Top: click here to buy!

- Kat Melladay x

OOTD 23.06.14 & 2nd visit to Twycross Zoo.

OOTD 23.06.14 & 2nd visit to Twycross Zoo.

Top - Topshop Sale, Jeans - Joni Topshop, Jellies - Primark, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Choker - Amazon.

Family photo!

Singing?

I mentioned in my previous blog post about visiting Twycross Zoo that I wanted to go again real soon as one of the Asian elephants had given birth to a baby girl called Esha. I was feeling a bit down recently about different things, so my parents decided to surprise me by taking me out for the day to meet her! As a huge elephant lover, it automatically cheered me up!

When we got to the zoo, I just ran towards the elephants. Baby Esha is everything that I imagined and more, she was gorgeous and everything about her was utterly adorable. She is fluffy and so tiny compared to the adult elephants. She already, obviously, has a large fan club! Everyone there was gathered around taking photographs and videos of her, "awwwing" at her cuteness. I myself came away with about 100 photographs of her on my phone, but just selected a special view for you to see. Throughout our day, I think we must have gone back to see her about three times. One of the times was to see the keepers feeding the elephants (cabbages and carrots!) and a talker about the elephants and their lives so far which was really interesting.

Again, as well as my favourites there were many other lovely animals to see. When I previously visited the zoo, it was winter time so the Flamingos weren't out but they were this time and my mum loved them! We also saw the penguins being fed this time walking around so that you could be literally, cms away from them! They were swimming and just chilling, looked so relaxed. There was a new arrival at Twycross, introducing the Zebras! There was four sassy zebras in their new big home that they seemed to be enjoying.

I love going to Twycross Zoo, it is always a wonderful day out. Already looking forward to the next time I can go, I will obviously have to see baby Esha again...

OOTD: Top - Topshop sale (cannot find a link unfortunately as I don't know if every store will have it), Jeans - my favourite "Joni" jeans from Topshop (click here to buy!), Jellies shoes - Primark, Bag - Urban Outfitters (they don't stock the red anymore, however they do have it in black: click here to buy in black!), Choker - Amazon (click here to buy!). 

Twycross Zoo info: http://twycrosszoo.org/ 

- Kat Melladay x