MANCHESTER DAY TRIPPIN

So a few weeks back I hit up Manchester with the intention of stuffing my face with as much out-of-the-ordinary food as possible (or in another more accurate word, the unhealthiest) under the guise of 'visiting the Christmas Markets'. Which I did, but let's be serious, the excessive collection of German woodworks were the last thing on my mind. 

Coming from a family of self-confessed foodies including a Chef Dad I've been brought up to appreciate all kinds of food and I'm proud that it doesn't take much persuasion for me to try something new. In fact, I love the opportunity. So immediately a trip to Manchester became a trip to fork out (literally) some new restaurants.

After scoping out some photo opportunities at the christmas market and buying some diabetes inducing treats (Nutella crepes, Fudge Swiss Roll Brownie- yes all three in one) we headed to Almost Famous. And this is when I'm going to go back on everything stated above and seem the most unadventurous food wise. Almost Famous specialises in burgers, but is King when it comes to slapping some beef between two halves of a bread bun- justified maybe? 

Not exactly trying something new, but its the first time I've received burger with a side of candy cane (although I had expected it to be stabbed through the middle like a christmas cocktail stick- disappointed). In keeping with the festive spirt I had ordered Holidays are coming- a beef burger topped with beef brisket and cranberry and apple coleslaw and a side order of winning fries. All delicious and I'd go back again in a heartbeat. If the cholesterol doesn't kill me first. 

To end a day spent wondering the streets of Manchester, we headed to Apotheca, an old fashioned pharmaceutical-esque bar which does the best cocktails EVER. Never playing it safe, I went for the strangest sounding concoction on the menu and ordered The Cultivation of the Eastern Giant- a mixture of gin, lychee liqueur, teapot bitters, lime, mooli and aloe vera juice and served with a side of wasabi peas. Opened my eyes to tea-based cocktails, best thing to happen to my tastebuds. 

WANG X H&M

With less than 24 hours until the Alexander Wang collection hits H&M, I’ve been frantically collecting my money together in a bid to buy EVERYTHING (Reality check- I can’t buy everything).

But at least maybe I’ll snag that 3D logo jumper everyone and their uncle has been drooling over, a sensible £34.99.

The collection goes live at 8am and customers are limited to no more than two items per products (i.e. 2 sizes of the same item). Expect delays, breakdowns and excessive loading time that will make you want to punch your laptop screen. High traffic is no doubt inevitable as the entire female population attempts to bag their favourite Wang x H&M piece.   

As for the collection itself, think sports luxe, androgynous, fashion of the future. Wang has delivered a diverse range of items, getting you from your morning work out to the evening Christmas party.

By utilising deep V cuts, bold contrasts and zip embellishment, Wang has created a sophisticated crop top for every occasion, from sports bras to bralets. The collection’s perforated dresses and jumpers are like something you’d find on a football field, yet fit for an evening in a (more up-market) club. Not to mention the abnormal accessories of car seat belt fashion belts, boxing gloves and a logo covered yoga mat. The collaboration hosts a whole collection of excessive monochrome, subtle neon patterns, mesh, leather and neoprene. Seriously masculine vibes.

Now that we are able to wear the designer label at half the price, it won’t be long until every other one of your friends is wearing the word, uhem... WANG printed across their chests- make of that what you will.

POST BREAK

So it’s been a while. Over the summer I had a full time job and realised I couldn’t manage keeping up a blog and working so much. Quite pathetic I know. But once you miss a week of blogging, it’s kinda hard to get back in to.

Back at uni, I have decided to throw myself into my blog and journalistic work. Going from working 6/7 hours a day for 6 or sometimes 7 days straight to then going to uni for no more than 5 hours a week has really made me realise how dependent I’ve become on keeping busy and being continuously surrounded by people.

Knowing that the blog posts I write entertain and interest others is definitely a good motivation to keep me busy and I'm looking forward to getting more involved.

WINTER COATS

With pumpkin spiced lattes hitting every Starbucks I knew it was time for the annual winter coat hunt. After reluctantly packing away my denim jackets and floral kimonos, I give you my top 7 coats for every possible wintery occasion.

(From left to right)

The Camel One- Zara £89.99

Is EVERYWHERE and yet I wouldn’t mind blending into the crowd if it meant I got to wear this coat. The neutral shade of beige looks effortlessly smart, much needed for that 9am lecture when you’re pretending you understand every word.

The Minimalist One- Mango £54.99

A throwback to the minimalist 90’s, you can’t go wrong with a simple white cocoon coat. The clean cut and collarless neckline takes things back to basics and makes an excellent canvas for many essential tartan scarfs.

The Teddy One- Topshop £79.00

The phrase all fur coat no kickers comes to mind in the sense that I can confidently say this coat will take over your entire outfit and there probably is no point in wearing anything else. But I think we can all agree that when you’re toes are near to turning blue; this oversized coat will be a stylish lifesaver.

The Checked One- Lavish Alice £60.00

For years my Mother has banned me from buying patterned coats for fear that I’ll hate it within a week or it’ll match only about 4 outfits I own. Finally, I stumbled across a checked duster coat with a simple design to curb my patterned needs whilst keeping my Mother happy with its versatility. No doubt it’ll come in handy as I try and avoid looking like an Eskimo sipping mulled wine in the local bar.

The Fur One- Topshop £68.00

Finally, a coat that looks incredibly warm and I can still flash my ankles. At wintertime I always feel obliged to wear the biggest coat possible, which, like everyone, causes me to neglect the outfit choices I wear underneath the mound of fur. Yes I probably will wear the same jumper/jeans combo for 2 months. This fur bomber is the answer to my prayers/whinges about nobody being able to appreciate how cool my new leopard patterned tights are. All hail.

The Draped One- H&M £39.99

This coat would go with anything and it would go with nothing, god forbid you distract away from the draped lapels. Ideal for the endless Christmas parties in the next coming months. 

The Sensible One- Warehouse £65.00

Let’s be serious now. The rain has started and won’t end till next June, and that’s if we’re lucky. We forget we live in dreary wet England and not Lapland. Instead of preparing for the snow, you need to worry about the rain and there is nothing better than an old-fashioned mustard rain mac to avoid the dreaded soggy jumper.

KITSCH CLUTCH

High-street:

Whitepepper ASOS excusive Eye Clutch- £42

Skinnydip London Crunch Clutch- £35

Deena & Ozzy for Urban Outfitters Metallic Lip Pouch- £14

New Look Fur Foldover Clutch- £17.99

Deena & Ozzy Speech Bubble Pouch- £7

Designer:

Charlotte Olympia Eye Want You Clutch- £1295

Anya Hindmarch Daz Georgina Clutch- £595

Lulu Guinness Neon Lips Clutch- £245

Moschino Barbie Collection Logo-detail Envelope Clutch- £320

Sophia Webster I Don’t Speech Bubble Leather Clutch- £340

When Steps- Tragedy comes on the radio, you find yourself stuck between either throwing yourself at the power button or throwing yourself into that old school disco dance routine. That is Kitsch. It’s garish, it’s tacky and quite frankly, it’s amazing.  

The kitsch trend prides itself on nostalgia and ostentatious drama, as if someone has dragged the past into the present with a pritt-stick and sequins in hand. The trend has exploded onto the catwalk and now the high street has jumped on the excessively glitzed-up bandwagon, offering us all the glamorously trashy accessories we could ask for at a fraction of the price. The loud and creative clutch designs are everywhere from New Look to Chanel, making sure we step out the door looking far from boring.

Fashion has become fun, a competition of who can be the most out-of-place, the most outlandish and the most flamboyant. I’m sure the 8-year-old girl inside us all is screaming out for the ever-so-kitsch Moschino Barbie collection, not so different from the spectacularly garish treats you’d expect in 90’s party bag, along with some sherbet straws and candy coloured yoyo of course.

411 BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX FOUDATION

I was recommended this by a few friends after my complaints about Topshop's excuse for a blemish balm... I really need to stop being so bitter about that. The sales advisor at boots advised I purchase the straight-up Healthy Mix Foundation rather than the Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation because the gel isn't recommended for oily skin as the gel acts to hydrate the skin further. However, in comparison to other foundations I have tried Bourjouis' has caused my skin to feel oilier and not just on my t-zone, which has never been a problem for me in the past. I don't want to blame the foundation entirely as my skin has been acting up lately... But I expected a cleaner looking finish from the comments I heard. 

Maybe I'm just a major foundation snob... 

I bought the foundation in the shade Vanilla, which is one up from the lightest and is still to dark for me. I continue to underestimate my paleness once again, truly a prime example of skin whiter than cocaine. 

Price: 4/5- £10 An affordable price for a student.

Long-Lasting (Face): 4/5- Rarely re-apply during the day. Lasts well for the price. 

Long-Lasting (Bottle): 4/5- More than enough in the bottle, can see this lasting a while.                 

Moisturising: 3/5- Skin feels hydrated, but maybe a little too hydrated... 

Finish: 3/5 -Unfortunately, its kinda shiny for me as I prefer a matte finish. Its also a tad orangey as I said before, but I think I'm terrible at colour matching... 

Coverage: 4/5- Even considerably covers my freckles, well done Bourjois!

   

NEON PATTERNED PALAZZO

Palazzo Pants- Primark // Bralet- Missguided // Sliders- Primark // Mini Clutch- Primark

With my holiday booked (finally!!!) I headed straight to Primark for some summer suitable outfits, after putting my much loved turtlenecks to bed. 

A pair of palazzo pants are a summer must-have, especially against the heat waves Cyrus will no doubt throw at me. Nothing is cooler than a pair of flares and I love how I can roam the streets feeling like I'm in my Pjs. Definitely feeling those chilled hippy vibes in these pants. 

The pattern is not too garish and worked perfectly with my neon mini clutch which I fell in love with purely for how eye-catching it is... literally. Neon is my favourite to style at the minute, I love injecting a bit of colour in my outfits without going over the top. 

I paired these pants with a simple bralet to balance the outfit out and again in prep for those summer heat waves. I also realise I have mini bunches in but why not. 

And obviously, no summer is complete without a Primark Birk dupe. 

(I have left the tags on as I'm still debating between this pair and pair of palazzos... will be up on the blog soon!)

Palazzo Pants- £12
Bralet- £10
Sliders- £5
Clutch- £2