Daily Makeup

I don't change my make-up routine too often - I tend to find a look I like, and stick with it until something new tempts me away. I used to be a matte skin fiend until I saw Gh0stparties video on glowing skin, and it convinced me dewy and glowy was the way forward! But generally, I like glowing skin, rosy cheeks, defined brows and lined eyes.

Today I used:

•  W7 Prime Magic Camera Ready Anti-Redness Primer
• Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid in 010 Ivory
• Collection Illuminating Touch concealer in 1 Naked
• NYC Cover Stick in 781A Light
• Collection Sheer Loose Powder in 2 Translucent
• Collection Shimmer and Shade in 3 Just Peachy
• MUA Blush in Shade 1
• MUA Brow Pencil in Brunette
• MUA Heaven and Earth Palette
• Collection Fast Stroke Eyeliner in Black
• Bourjois Volume Clubbing Ultra Black mascara
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 4

As you can see, my daily makeup is made up of budget brands, which seems to be quite unusual in the blogging world now, but we can't all pay £40 for a face powder, or £30 for a foundation! Maybe one day, when I'm a grown-up with a real job, but I'm perfectly happy with the products I use and I think, with a bit of research and trial and error, you can get some great items at a much lower price - then you can spend the difference on going out and showing off your look!

What Laura Did: Turning Dresses into Cushions!

I love a bit of arts and crafts. When I was living at home, in college two days a week and a weekend part-time job, I had lots of disposable income and, more importantly, lots of free time, which I spent altering clothes and making things. Favourite projects include sewing pink ribbons onto pink satin pumps to make them look like ballerina shoes, sewing pearls onto a plain white dress to make it more unique, and handcrafting a skirt which still get me compliments today.

But since moving out, moving in with my boyfriend and being at uni, income and time has been a lot sparser, and I've found my crafty skills falling by the wayside. But I've decided to rectify this, and to use free afternoons like today in a more productive way. So I decided to turn an old dress into a brand new cushion!

I've had this dress from New Look for three years or so. It was quite ill-fitting at the time, but I loved the print so much I bought it anyway. It's not been worn too often, and after putting it on yesterday, I decided that it really has had its day. But I still love the soft grey and the mellowed neon floral print, and I wanted to recycle it in a way that it still could be admired. And what's better than a pretty cushion for your bed or chair?

Basically, you'll need an old dress, preferably one with a flaring skirt, or lots of material. You'll also need a cushion, needle and thread, dressmakers pins and some sharp scissors. If your dress doesn't have a zip, you may want some buttons too. Here we go...

Cut along the waistline of the dress, following the line as much as possible to avoid scraggy ends. If it's a curved shape at the top, no worries, as this will be disguised later. Discard the top half, as you won't be needing it anymore.

Cut along one of the sides to create one strip of material. If there is a zip, cut this away as neatly as possible, as you will need this.

Turn the fabric so that it's the wrong side up, and place your cushion towards the edge of the fabric. Fold the excess over the edge of the cushion and pin into place. This will mean you can turn it inside out when it's done and all the stitching will be nicely disguised.

Wrap the fabric as neatly and tightly as possible around the cushion, and pin into place as you go to keep it taut.

Now we begin sewing! Tuck any longer edges in (there probably will be longer bits, as your dress will have been cut into a circular pattern. Fold the ends into each other to form a tidy line. Knot your thread and stitch so that the knot goes inside the fold. Stitch along the bottom, being careful not to sew the material to the cushion. Remove the pins as you go. Sew along one other loose side, keeping one open.

Now you have one side unstitched, remove the cushion. Turn the material inside out, so the printed side is facing out. Now it's time to sew on the zip.

Trim any excess material from the zip, and place about a quarter of the way into the top side, so that the zip sits centrally. Pin into place.

Sew each side of the zip separately, making sure that you secure it with a few solid stitches at either end. Keep the threads well clear of the zipper so it opens and closes smoothly.

Pop the cushion back in, and stitch the gaps either end of the zip closed, turning in any rogue corners and tucking in any loose ends.

 Et voila! Place on your bed or chair of choice, sit back and admire...!

20 Random Facts About Me

We've all seen these floating around in the last couple of days, and I thought I would have a little go too. No video, just 20 little facts about little old me...

1. My degree is in Commercial Music, but as yet, I have no plans whatsoever to have any kind of career in music. I'm aiming to get into journalism - slightly unrelated but my course is very business-y, so the skills crossover is pretty decent. I don't regret doing a degree in music though; I've had the best six years of my life studying it at both college and uni, and I met my wonderful boyfriend through doing it too, so I wouldn't change it for the world.

2. I cannot stand cheese. The only kind I can stomach is mozzarella on pizza (even then, sparingly) and cream cheese frosting for cakes. Otherwise, get it the hell away from me!

3. I've been blogging for around five years. I had a blog originally in 2008 and kept it for a year or so, before starting another, giving up completely when I moved out - and now I have this one! Not so much of a noob after all...

4. I moved in with my boyfriend after we'd been together for six months, when I was 18. Crazy soon, yes, but for us, it felt right. Everything fell into place at the right time and it was the right thing for us to do. We've been living together for nearly three years now and I couldn't imagine it any other way!

5. I cannot stand wearing jeans, leggings or any other kind of trouser. I wear them two days a week for work, and nothing else, unless they're slobby jogging bottoms or pyjamas. They don't suit me and I hate feeling restricted. Dresses all the way!

6. When I was six, I had a disastrous haircut that's scarred me for life. It was the first time I was allowed to choose my own hairstyle, so I did what every six year old did in 1997 and asked for a Posh Spice shoulder-length bob. However, I somehow wound up with a David Beckham bowl cut. Oh the irony... Subsequently I threw an enormous tantrum, throwing bottles and combs all over the salon, screaming, crying and kicking the hairdresser. Oops.

7. I moved from London to Aberdeenshire when I was 15. My parents bought a house in the middle of the countryside and I had to move from South East London to the back of beyond! My mum and brother moved a week before my Dad and I, so I could go to my secondary school graduation. We actually drove up straight after the graduation, with the car piled high, and me in my ballgown. How 80s movie of us.

8. One of my favourite sandwich kinds is Marmite and Quavers. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

9. My favourite album is Blue by Joni Mitchell. If you've never heard it, I urge you to get on Spotify now! Utter perfection.

10. I am the worst decision maker ever. Even when it comes to deciding inane things like what kind of biscuits to buy or what kind of bubble bath to use.

11. My boyfriend's grandmother gave me her beautiful pink vintage Raleigh bicycle a few months ago, but until I learn how to ride in the road and take one hand off to indicate, it's having a period of rest in the spare bedroom.

12. I can't swim. When I had lessons at primary school, I was too concerned with the fact that the instructor couldn't swim (seriously) and too preoccupied with my hatred of the smell, the humidity and the general grossness of public swimming baths to apply myself properly. It's something I really want to learn, but I'm a bit embarrassed to take lessons.

13. I'm a singer, and I play the guitar and piano a little, and used to write songs. See, there is a reason my degree is in music! If you'd like to listen to anything, there's some songs up here: soundcloud.com/laurajaynemusic. Don't judge me.

14. Both Prince William and Prince Harry told me that they'd marry me when I was a little girl. I was in Windsor for the day, when I was about seven, and it was the same day Prince Harry was enrolling at Eton. We stumbled across the press crowd and they spotted me in the crowd. When they asked me what I wanted to be when I was grown up, I said 'princess'. So, charming as they were, they told me one of them would marry me. Wills, you liar. Harry, call me.

15. I love Coronation Street. And Emmerdale. They're my guilty secret - I watch them when my boyfriend's asleep, or on the ITV player. It's a bit of an addiction.

16. I'm a complete homebody. When I was 17/18, I was WILD and was out drinking and partying all the time, I was hardly ever at home. My uncle owned a pub in the next village and my friends and I were there for three or four days at a time. It's so weird, because now I hardly ever go out clubbing, and I don't enjoy being drunk at all anymore. I just love a sociable cocktail, a bit of a dance and then home. Clubs are generally full of loud, obnoxious people wanting to get smashed and that's not really my scene anymore. My boyfriend has tamed me! Now I love being at home, in cosy clothes, making our own cocktails, or drinking tea(!), watching films and enjoying our own company.

17. I got into the third year of a university course without a single A-Level, which I think is quite an achievement. I have GCSEs, of course, and good ones at that, and I had a HND in Music, but normally A-Levels are a huge stipulation. Now I have an A-Level in English, which I completed at night classes last year whilst studying for my degree. That's dedication.

18. I'm such a wimp. I can't watch any scary films, creepy TV shows etc. When I'm at home alone, every noise creeps me out and makes me jump, and I have to sleep with a nightlight on if my boyfriend isn't home.

19. I collect vintage china. I have a small collection of beautiful teacups and saucers, a teapot, milk jugs, and a beautiful cake stand. Although I love my tea in an enormous Starbucks mug, sometimes there's nothing nicer than having tea and cake in a tiny, delicate little cup. I'm planning to extend my collection once we have our own kitchen, and much more storage!

20. My boyfriend really is my very best friend. Definitely. I tell him everything, we talk about everything and we just have so much fun. I'm not one for massive soppiness but honestly, every day is better than the last with a boy like mine. I'm happier now than I've ever been, and I'd say that's probably all down to him :)

What Laura Did: New Hair, New Clothes

I'm quite particular about a lot of things (food, clothes, brands of tea) but my hair is definitely the main thing. After a very traumatic incident with a hairdresser aged six (I asked for a Posh Spice bob, she gave me a David Beckham bowl cut), I'm extremely fussy about what I will have done to my hair and who I will let do that to it. I haven't had it shorter than my shoulders ever since, fearful that I'll end up looking like a lost little boy again!

But over the last few years, I've learned to mellow a bit. Until the age of 20, I'd never dyed my hair, not even a wash-out colour, but with some encouragement from my boyfriend, I went bright blonde. Over the last year, I've had it highlighted, bleached, dyed back to brown, ombred, chopped and changed several times. In October, I had it cut from my waist to just above my chest, and loved how grown-up I looked. Then, last week, I finally decided to dye over my fading ombre to my original glossy brown - a huge decision, my first ever home dye! And then yesterday, I threw caution to the wind and booked in for a chop and a brand new fringe.

I love it! It's the shortest I've gone in years and years, but it feels lovely. Just now it's a bit odd, as it's so groomed and straight from the salon, and I normally prefer a lived-in, more natural look, but I'm sure it will settle in a few days.

I also did a little bit of payday shopping yesterday - a little sneaky but I couldn't help it. I picked up this boucle and leather jacket from Primark - I've had my eye on it for months and months, but I couldn't justify £25 for it originally, and then I forgot about it, until today, when I saw it on a rail for just £3. Ridiculous. Of course it ended up in my basket. It's a great jacket, navy blue tweed woven with gold thread, in a biker shape with a wide leather collar - a perfect mix of the classic and the cool. I can definitely see myself getting a lot of wear out of this!

 I also picked up these cute quilted leopard print pumps for a paltry £2. I like the toecap and the heart charm, pretty little details and leopard ballet flats always look so chic with jeans and a simple Breton stripe.

Finally, I went for something a little more dressy. I walked past this lilac blazer in H&M and completely fell in love with the ice-cream colour - so fresh and pretty! I tried it on and it fits like a dream - it's much more flattering undone.  I like the ruffles around the hips to add shape, and the arm length was perfect. And it was just £7 in the sale! I can definitely see myself wearing this with jeans and pumps in the daytime, or thrown over tea dresses in the summertime. It looks very office-y and grown up in this photo, but I'll include it in an outfit post soon to show you its versatility.

Did you make any cheeky payday purchases?

What Laura Wants: Payday Wishlist

• Bag - eBay
• Dress - Motel
• Dress - eBay
• Top - ASOS
• Coat - Vero Moda at ASOS
• Watch - Vivienne Westwood for ASOS

January payday has to be the best one of the entire year - especially if, like me, your place of work inexplicably decided to pay you a week early before Christmas. Ouch. Pennies have been a little scarce this month, but now it's payday, I'm feeling a little flush and am looking to indulge in one or two (or maybe more...) of the goodies above!

I've wanted this bag for months and months now, it was on my Christmas wishlist and nobody bought me it, so it's been left to me. To be honest I don't know why I've left it so long; it's only £20 and it's a very good Alexa dupe. February may be the time to invest!

The Motel Tera dress is just so pretty and girlie; I spied it on Michelle's blog last week and have been umm-ing and aah-ing over it all week. Perfect Valentine's date dress? I think so!

My boyfriend and I booked a holiday last week and now I'm in full summer-clothes mode. I want a simple maxi dress to throw on when it's too hot, or to tan my shoulders, or even to put on as a cover-up on the beach, and I think this little gem from eBay is cheap and chic. I love the emerald green, and at £8.50, it seems inevitable that this will be in my suitcase in June!

Ah, this top. I saw this on Kate's Instagram earlier in the week and have been really stressing over whether to buy it. It's been selling out and re-stocking in my size every day, as I've been trying not to bite my nails with the temptation! The thing is, I love it, but it's very different from my normal style. I don't often wear jeans, or any kind of trousers, and especially not for a special occasion. I do adore this top, and it's only £12, but I just don't think I'd get the wear out of it. Who knows, maybe temptation will get the better of me after all...

A leopard print coat is something I've been after for a while, and I couldn't find the right one anywhere. Secondhand ones are currently selling for stupid amounts of money on eBay so that's a no-go, but this one from Vero Moda/ASOS seems just about perfect. Hopefully I'll look a little more Edie Sedgwick, a little less Bet Lynch when I wear it!

And finally, this beautiful, delicate little watch by Vivienne Westwood is just lovely. I have a chunky rose gold boyfriend watch and I want something a little more feminine. The colours of the strap and the face are lovely, and I adore the ornate frame around the face. Possibly a Valentine's present, possibly a 'go on, treat yourself' present...!

i would answer all your wishes, if you asked me to

• Dress - Topshop
• Bag - Aldo
• Shoes - eBay 

Hello! Keeping up with my outfit posts, feeling so organised just now. Today I had my final presentation for the first semester of uni, so now I've officially finished the first semester and only have one left until I'm officially a grown up... eeeek. It was a business pitch, with my business being a magazine, so I thought I'd wear something smart-ish and pretty, and pulled this Topshop number out of my wardrobe. It's very sheer and floaty, and is cut so that it sweeps right into the waist and shows off your figure, even while being so light. The print is very delicate and detailed red roses, which is pretty timeless and always lovely for a day when you want to look girlie but not over the top. I like the length too - I've really been leaning towards longer lengths in the last year or so, it's so much more elegant! I paired this dress with a blue two-tone leather satchel from Aldo, which is a great size for uni and surprisingly, a versatile colour. I also wore this patent loafers that I bought last year on eBay and can't find the link for (sorry!).

I think the presentation actually went very well, so I'm off out tonight with my boy for some celebratory cocktails before semester two (the final countdown) kicks off next week!

We went to see Django Unchained last night, and if, like me, you don't particularly like anything gory or violent, I would still completely recommend seeing this film! Tarantino's work is amazing and Django manages to merge the serious, the horrific, the tender and the funny all together and it works beautifully. Yes, it is violent and bloody, but I think the use of it is completely justified and it really tells the story. PLUS I now have the biggest crush on Jamie Foxx - what a sexy cowboy/outlaw/god that man makes....

Love was made for me and you

Top: Gap

Belt: Vintage

Skirt: New Look

Boots: eBay

Bag: Vintage

I didn't do a terrific amount with myself today (other than make gingerbread men!) so I wanted something comfy and easy to wear. I got this top when I worked at Gap last year and hated it then, but I've been wearing it a lot recently. The stripes are closer together than I'd like but the cotton is very soft, and monochrome is so versatile. I didn't actually wear these boots outside (spent all day in my ugg slippers) but I thought they'd look good with this outfit.

I also love my little brown leather bag! It's a vintage Salisbury, which I found at a car boot sale for £2! I don't get to use it much as it's quite small and I tend to carry a lot of stuff, but it's so gorgeous that I'm going to try harder to carry less rubbish so that I can use it more often.

The rest of today was spent finishing off uni work for a presentation on Thursday (eek!) and ordering this bikini for the holiday we just booked. Overplanning, moi?

What Laura Made: Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread. Typically the feast of the festive season, or so you may think. But Christmas or not, gingerbread is a wonderfully wintry treat and the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea on a chilly afternoon. So, on the day when snow finally hit Glasgow, my boy and I decided that it was the perfect time to indulge!

Gingerbread is incredibly simple to make, so here we go...

You'll need:

• 200g sieved plain flour (plus extra for rolling)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup (or clear honey if you prefer a less sweet taste)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 90g light brown sugar
• Rolling pin
• Cookie cutter!

Firstly, melt the butter and syrup together in a pan on a low heat, until it becomes a sticky sauce. Set aside.

Put the flour, sugar, bicarbonate and spices in a bowl and mix together.

Add in the egg, and the butter/syrup sauce. Stir gently until it comes together, and then use your hands to knead the mixture into a firm dough. If the dough is too soft, add some more flour, and if it's too firm, add a splash of water. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. While it's resting, preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Flour a surface and a rolling pin, and place your dough in it. Roll it out to about 5mm thickness. This recipe should make 6-8 men depending on your thickness and the size of your cutter. Cut out your men and place on a tray covered in baking parchment. We made some little mini hearts with the leftover dough too.

Decorate with sugar pearls.

Bake for 10 minutes, until golden and soft. Enjoy!

What Laura Did: Sunday Catch Up

Hello! Not sure if anyone will actually be able to read this - the perils of changing URLs...! But just in case you are, welcome to my new-look blog, with a new name to match!

This Sunday Catch-Up will be the first of what I'm aiming to make a weekly thing, wish me luck.

This week has been one of books and deadlines, unfortunately. Friday was the second hand-in of my dissertation, and it meant that I had to send over around half of the completed item. It's been a lot of hard work and (sometimes boring) books so far, but once it's done in April I know it'll all be worth it!

Other than the boring, this week included celebrating my wonderful boyfriend's 24th birthday. I gave him some goodies including a toastie maker (it's a classic!) and tickets to the Eels in March, which is particularly special as Lewis played one of their songs to me on our first date, and it's been 'ours' ever since. We celebrated with a surprise indoor birthday picnic, and I baked a humongous raspberry Victoria sponge, then went out for dinner with friends the next night for too much pasta and wine! All in all, a wonderful birthday for him, I think...

 

I also got to tick off one of my New Year's to-do items this week - booking a holiday! As I said before, Lewis and I have been living together for nearly 3 years, but we've only ever been on mini-breaks to our respective hometowns, and one beautiful weekend in Paris, never an actual holiday. On Thursday, we made it official and booked a week in a beautiful secluded hotel in Crete for June. I can't wait, I'm bikini shopping already!

And lastly, I dyed my hair. I'd never dyed my hair before last year, and loved my dark and shiny tresses. But something made me want to hit the bleach and I spent a few months as an icy blonde, before deciding it was just too expensive to keep up! I had it dyed back, but with a demi-permanent dye, which faded and left me with a subtle ombre. It did look quite nice and warmed my skintone up a little, but I'm so happy to have dark and glossy hair again! I used Garnier Nutrisse for my first home-dye experience and could happily recommend it; I think the colour was 4 1/2, Pure Chocolate Medium Brown. What do you think?

So my week has been a mix of the super exciting and lovely, and the dull and stressful. This week coming will be the first this month without a huge uni deadline looming over me, so hopefully I can relax a little - the calm before the storm, perhaps...!

ELF Studio Brush Collection

 

 ELF Studio Brush Collection

So I'm a little late with the 'what I got for Christmas' post - I like reading other people's, but I don't particularly like splashing mine over the internet. That and I'm too busy playing with my new goodies to photograph them right away!

However, if there's a gift relevant to my blog and worthy of a post, it's this. My boyfriend went out on a limb and decided that what I needed for Christmas was a set of makeup brushes. Little did he know that's exactly what I wanted! Based on his own research, on Christmas Day I was the proud new owner of the ELF Studio Brush Collection, and I haven't looked back.

While ELF have several ranges of cosmetic brushes, these are the professional set, and you can definitely feel the difference in quality. It's an eleven piece set with a range of brushes that are all useful, something which I've found is difficult to come across in most sets available online (I mean, who needs four eyeshadow brushes anyway?!). While I haven't used all of them yet, the majority of the brushes have been used every day since Christmas.

The set includes a large, fluffy complexion blush, a flat-topped powder brush, an angled blusher brush, angled foundation brush, fan-shaped blending brush, a contouring brush, a tiny precision brush for spots and pores, a fluffy eye shadow brush and an ever fluffier shadow blending brush and two smudging brushes (one angled, one precise). To fill it out and make sure I had everything I needed, my boy added in a foundation stippling brush, a lash comb and a brow wand.

The brushes are presented in a sleek black zip-up case, small and flat and perfect for throwing in your bag for travelling. The brushes themselves are also incredibly sleek, all in black with the purpose of each brush stencilled into their handles. The brushes are very full and thick, and extremely soft to touch. I've found that this makes for very easy application and blending, with no dragging of the skin, no smudging and no need to keep going over the same area.

All brushes can be used wet or dry and are multipurpose; I, however, prefer to have one for each use and know where I stand with them. I may be persuaded to experiment, after seeing Gem Fatale using the flat-topped powder brush for liquid foundation (I imagine it would be much like the Sigma F80, a beauty blogger's favourite), but for now it works wonders with loose powder. I like to use the large complexion brush for highlighter, as it creates a soft glow, with no chance of any sparkle being focused in a particular place.

If you've shopped online at ELF before, you'll know they're renowned for their budget prices as well as their quality, so you may be surprised to hear the price of the Studio Brush Collection. It currently retails for £38.50, which may seem a little extreme on a budget site. However, if you think about it, Real Techniques sets retail for around £20 for 4 brushes, and the Sigma F80 retails for a whopping £18, so it's actually a bargain! If you need more convincing, think about it like this: each brush will cost you £3.50. For the quality of these brushes, and the results you get from them, I'd say that's well worth the investment!

What's On My Bedside Table?

I've seen a few of these posts floating about, and I love being nosy when it comes to other people's houses, so I thought I'd do one for you to indulge in too!

My bedroom is one of my favourite places. It's very girlie, with flowers, bunting and plenty of sparkly bits (I will do a room tour one day), but I can't go too mad with it, as it's shared with my boyfriend. Our bedside tables are the places where all our stuff goes that is just purely us, with no input from the other person. My bedside table is utterly selfish, and I absolutely love it.

First up, classic lamp, no explanation needed. The stencilling on it is nice though, it lights up a bit brighter when it's switched on, showing off the pattern. The better lamp is in front of it though - my gorgeous bunny nightlight was a present from my boyfriend a few months ago. It's supposed to be for a child's bedroom but I love it so much, I don't care.

Next up is a pink 'I need a massage' bell! This was a recent addition (a Christmas present from my sister-in-law), that I've been using for everything from a foot rub to a cup of tea!

Books are always perfect for the bedside table. I'm currently reading "Will You Take Me As I Am?", a Joni Mitchell biography, that my boyfriend bought me for Christmas. Joni Mitchell is one of my favourite artists and "Blue" is my favourite album, which is what this book is all about. If you're a fan, it's a great read. Underneath that is my diary; I'm not very good at sticking to nightly "what-I-had-for-dinner" posts, but it's good for when I need to get things out of my mind or make some notes for the morning.

I love having flowers in the flat, and especially in the bedroom. They die so quickly though, that I've decided fake ones are the way forward so that the room always looks cheerful! I have a tiny china jug of miniature artificial flowers here that my mum-in-law put in my 21st birthday box, which are so sweet and always put a smile on my face. Artificial flowers are also present in jumbo form (told you they were the way forward!) with these three coloured gerberas from Ikea, in a cute conical vase.

I have got some essentials on my bedside table, if only a few. I've got my Body Shop Vitamin E range, which I reviewed here. I've got my cleanser and toner here, and some night cream. Cotton wool comes from my glorious latest addition - the bunny cotton wool holder! Stuff it full of the balls and it looks like the bunny has a fluffy cotton tail!

I've got two little trinkets here too, a mini panda ornament that was a present my boyfriend gave me, and a Devonshire pixie I bought on a family holiday as a little girl. Next to that is a photo of my parents, who I don't see very often and who I miss lots and lots!

Finally, there's got to be room for food on the bedside table, and I've come up tops with this. Charbonnel et Walker pink champagne truffles, and a Parisian Moulin Rouge coaster for my all-important cup of tea!

So that's my overstuffed bedside table, full of girlie goodies! What's on yours, I'd love to take a peek!

Laura Jayne xox

2012 and 2013

Happy New Year! I'm perhaps a little late, so apologies for my hiatus, but I have been snowed under since early December with the horrors of dissertation and various pieces of coursework, and, of course, a gorgeous week by the seaside with my family for Christmas! I hope all your Christmases and New Years were delightful too.

I thought instead of boring you with resolutions (graduate, exercise more, drink more water etc), I would look back on what I managed to achieve in 2012, and look forward to what I can achieve in 2013 too!

So, in 2012, I...

1. Got a degree!

This probably doesn't count, as I'm still at university hunting down my Honours, but I did officially achieve a degree in Commercial Music in 2012!

2. Went to London Fashion Week!

 A few outfits from London Fashion Week!

This was probably the most exciting thing I did in 2012. Thanks to a cheeky job writing articles for an online fashion magazine, I got offered the chance to go back home for a week and cover the full 5 days of Fashion Week in September. It was my first time there and it was unforgettable! The magazine I worked for (which is now sadly defunct) focused on up-and-coming brands, so I saw a lot of names that aren't huge yet (Krystof Strozyna, Timur Kim), some that will be enormous in the next few years at the Ones to Watch Showcase (Charlotte Simpson - OMG), and, by a wondrous stroke of luck, I ended up in the F-Row at HOUSE OF HOLLAND. Wowsers. Such an amazing experience and I loved every single second, I wish I didn't have a dissertation to complete or I'd definitely be trying my hardest to get there again next month!

3. Discovered what I want to do with my life

2012 was the year I found out that the only thing I want to do is become a journalist. I've always adored reading and writing, and everyone was shocked when I chose to pursue a music degree over an English Lit, but I'm so glad I did. Studying Music has made me fall out of love with it a bit, so I'm so happy that nothing has detracted from my love for the written word. Thanks to a university placement at a media magazine in February, I suddenly realised that writing was the one thing that I could happily do for the rest of my days. I was already writing part-time for online fashion magazines, but working in an office sealed the deal for me. I pursued several internships last year, at various magazines and newspapers, and of course, Fashion Week, in order to get enough work experience that I might (fingers crossed) be able to get a job in journalism this year!

4. Had a girls' holiday!

2012 was the year of my first girls' holiday.  Myself and three friends flew to Las Americas in Tenerife for a not-so-classy week of lounging by the pool and overindulging on all-inclusive cocktails... It was brilliant! I moved from London to Scotland a week after leaving secondary school and as a result, I don't see my schoolfriends very often. This week was a great way for us all to catch up and I loved my first-ever girlie holiday!

5. I turned 21!

 (Left, my beautiful balloons! Top: Me and my best girl Kirsty, who travelled to Glasgow from London three days after getting back from Tenerife, just to spend my birthday with me too!)


 So in 2012, I officially became an adult. I was in Tenerife the week before my birthday, so I celebrated it with my friends there, and then came home for official celebrations. We had a great night out at a lovely cocktail bar, Kuta, in Glasgow, followed up with a dance at my favourite club, Bamboo. The next day was my real birthday and we had a quiet day with the friends who had travelled from various places to be with me, and then a lovely meal at Carluccio's with my boy when everybody had gone. One of the best birthdays I've ever had, with some beautiful gifts I know I'll cherish forever.

So 2012 was actually pretty lovely for me. I hope 2013 will be just as wonderful, and hopefully even better. This year, I hope to:

1. Graduate with an excellent Honours degree!

Ideally I'd love a First, but I'd also be thrilled with a 2:1. Fingers crossed!

2. Go on my first holiday with my boyfriend

We've lived together for 2 and a half years, but aside from a glorious weekend in Paris, and a few at home in London and Edinburgh respectively, me and my boy have never actually been on a 'proper' holiday together. We're thinking European sun, like Dubrovnik, Barcelona or Sardinia.

3. Get a job in what I want to do

The idea of graduating and being jobless is terrifying. So, above anything else in 2013, I want to get a job in what I want to do (and quickly!)