It was her heart that he was stealing.

Oasis leather collar shift dress: £5, via sample sale. Vintage leather jacket: £17.50. Bally chelsea boots: £8. Cath Kidston leather bag: gift. Topshop lace frill socks: £3. Topshop really ruby lipstick and BECCA Hotel California lipgloss.

Hello, weekend! However much I adore the pace of my job, I can't help but savour a little bit of an escape from the computer screen - and a little bit more sleep! One sunny Saturday I headed over to the ever-faithful Lakeside - a shopping centre in Essex, for those not in the know - to fill my wardrobe with winter pastels and, ahem, another fedora. We went for a little stroll along the lakeside (how could I resist?) to make the most of summer's last rays before coats and tights become a necessity. Or wellingtons, knowing the British weather...

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I don't wanna say your love is a waiting game.

French Connection cream jumper: £21.50. Boohoo paisley playsuit. Marks and Spencer bag: £43. Missguided buckle boots. Rotary watch: gift. Mac ravishing lipstick.

Photos by Rosa.

There's nothing better than a lazy afternoon spent with friends in a coffee shop. One afternoon saw Rosa (who's blog is about a billion times cooler than I could ever be) and I doing just that - with a little bit of Zara on the side! As we were passing, we took outfit photos in Max-Joseph-Platz, by the National Theatre. As the vast majority of my photos are taken in a rushed lunch hour, it's rare that I'm able to find a location this beautiful within walking distance, but it does make taking photos so much more fun.

By the time you read this I should be back on British shores - I hope Nando's is ready for me. With plans varying from a night out on Baker Street to a good ol' pub quiz to brunch with the best people (i.e. Sabby and Jazmine), I really don't think I could ask for a better elongated weekend. Unless I had a weekend with optimum temperature yorkshire tea and cheese on toast. I reckon that'd be pretty good too.

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Be like the bluebird who never is blue.

Closet mirror print dress: c/o Stylistpick. Denim jacket: aunt's. Satchel: Brit-Stitch. Shoes: mum's. Necklace: vintage. Lipstick: Topshop Mischief (sadly discontinued).

Do you ever put on an outfit and think of a blogger immediately? Well, I do. Every time I wear my circle skirt I think of j rox, something that involves clashing colours is certainly a Lucy speciality, Carven brings Kristabel to mind, and I always remember Amy's smock dress phase/obsession when I put mine on. When I opened the box this dress was packed in, I immediately remembered Olivia's post, which I described to her as "the pastel Brighton one with the ladylike dress". I may not have been Brighton-bound for this post, but one afternoon trip to Hylands Park with my mum mid-September did mean that I had an excuse to wear something a little more fancy than my current jeans and t-shirt uniform, and I'm never one to pass up an opportunity to get dolled up (even if it is just for a cup of tea).

Tonight I'm headed to the wharves of East London for a gig (no surprise what I'll be wearing) as it's been far, far too long since I saw live music. The rest of the week will involve a lot of dancing as I pretend to be a fresher tomorrow and then get to see my best blogging chums this weekend in Birmingham. Come Sunday evening I'll be cowering beneath my duvet claiming all I need is a good book and a hot chocolate. Well, at least until I'm told otherwise.

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Shake it, break it, make it bounce.

Liquid eyeliner: £6.79, Bourjois Liner Clubbing. Concealer: c/o Benefit Fake Up. Lipstick: £14, MAC Ravishing. Eyebrow kit: £23, Benefit Brow-Zings, via Harvey Nichols Beauty Bazaar. Mascara: Soap and Glory Thick & Fast, free with Elle. Exfoliator: Boots Botanics Microdermabrasion Polish. BB Cream: £23, MAC Prep + Prime. Blusher: mum's Avon one from years ago. Cleanser: £15, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. Lip scrub: £5, Lush Bubblegum. Micellar cleansing water: c/o B01. Pore-reducer thing: free!, Benefit Pore-fessional. Lip balm: Vaseline. Shampoo and Conditioner: won in Duke of York Square's twitter competition, Liz Earle Botanical shine shampoo and conditioner. Base coat: Essei Rock Solid. Top coat: Essie good to go. Eye drops: £3.79, Optrex. Moroccan argan oil: £5, Organix. Final Shine spray and Straight and Smooth spray: c/o ghd. Day cream: Boots Botanics.

If I think I don't use that many products, then I don't understand how beauty bloggers can fit half their stuff in the bathroom! I tried (a long time ago) to do a review of liquid eyeliner, and I haven't been back since as I really don't think I know enough to give a reliable opinion. Although I love a bit o' cleanser (liz earle, I love you), I know what I like, and I stick to it, and the above photo is documentation of what I use on a daily (ish) basis. Whether it's something pretty like lipstick, or something basic like eye drops (no matter how good your lenses are, mine are from Optical Express, I think, never underestimate how much screens can frazzle your eyes), it's rare for new products to make it into my make up bag, and I rely on the few beauty blogs I do read, such as Kate's, to help me whenever I do decide it's about time to shake it up a bit. A while ago I got an email from Fran at Best British Bloggers who asked if I'd be interested in receiving a few hair styling products, and I thought I'd accept the challenge of creating a simple up do, if only to do more to my hair than wake up and flatten it with my hands. So, ladies (and gents, maybe), grab yourself a cuppa and a hairbrush, as I present to you the Iggy Azalea ponytail.

one brush your hair. If you're anything like me, then this is Big Deal. Once that's out of the way, spray some heat defence spray in, and wait for it to dry.


two straighten it. I personally work in layers from the nape of my neck till I reach the crown. Just make sure you get the bits that'll sit on the top of your head straight, so you don't have flyaways later.


three 2:13.


four flip your head upside down and smooth your hair into a ponytail on the top of your head. Once upright, use a brush or comb, whatever's easiest, to make sure it isn't bumpy. Secure with a hairband.


five cover that bad boy in hairspray. Don't breathe, for health and safety reasons.


six just add a touch of shine spray - it helps with the finer hairs that your hairspray didn't get.

Ta-dah! This is possibly the simplest style you'll ever have to "create", and I've been doing it since I was about six and able to hold a hairbrush.

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A dream is a wish your heart makes.

Blouse: gift, French Connection. Skirt: £33, Luella, via ebay. Belt: 20p, charity shop. Shoes: 50p, Russell and Bromley, via ebay.

It wouldn't be a twenty-first without acting like a child, would it? Sabby bounded onto the RER A with me, Sophie, Tom, and Brad in tow, and, as we wound our way East, the train slowly filled with little ones, each of us heading to Disneyland Paris. A weird mixture of food and stomach-churning rides (my ten and twenty-first year old self's dream combination), the day was spent wandering between the two parks, bringing back memories from when I went on a surprise trip a whole twelve years ago. Now I'm tall enough to go on Space Mountain and Tower of Terror (twice), and it certainly hasn't lost its magic.

We ended the day sitting by the side of the castle, watching Disney Dreams. It was slightly different to the bonfire night celebrations of November (namely that I wasn't in about three coats), but we were all still clutching our hot chocolates as we watched the spectacle unfold. By the time we got back to our room, we decided it probably wasn't a good idea to go out, particularly as we'd missed the last metro, so instead made ourselves a pasta box or five, and settled down before heading home via St Pancras the next day.

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I felt you and I knew you loved me.

Blouse: £6, vintage via Ark. Denim circle skirt: £28.50, American Apparel. Denim jacket: £63, Hobbs. Scarf: £1, charity shop. Shoes: 50p, Russell and Bromley. Jewellery: gifts. Belt: 20p, charity shop. Bag: gift from Jazmine. Lips: Topshop Mischief.

Considering it had been on my must do list since I found out you could, it took me till my last week in Liverpool to go to the top of the Anglican cathedral and see the city from its blustery heights. Somehow managing to stay on our feet, Sita, Amy and I headed up there on a clear day and gave our fair city a farewell from above. It's so odd to see where you live (cue "I can see my house!!" shouts) from such a different angle, but it doesn't half make me miss it when I scroll through all my photos. Perhaps a beehive wasn't the best idea for going somewhere so exposed, but after a trip to the toilets, past an Emin, we managed to snap these outfit photos in the beautiful grounds. The graveyard there is quite different to Père Lachaise which I visited last Wednesday, but the stone-lined passageways tell their own stories. I guess that's a bit of an odd (if perhaps relevant) last outfit post from Liverpool, but it shows how varied the city can be - from green Sefton Park to cool, steel shop fronts. Although I miss it and its perfect locations, I guess you'll have to make do with some Isle of Wight and Paris based posts for now!

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