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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Dressed in black he walks alone, a shadow in the night.

Columba cut out bodycon dress: c/o Lashes of London. Leather jacket: The Kooples. Leopard print boots: Topshop (old). Broken bag: Topshop (old). Collar necklace: Miss Selfridge. Nails: Red n Black, Models Own. Lipstick: Kate Moss 107, Rimmel.

Make the most of these photos, because you're not going to see body con or cut out again for a while. When I saw this badass Lashes of London dress on their site, my inner Essex knew it had to make its way to my wardrobe somehow, not quite realising what a big deal it'd be for me to wear it. Then along came Amy, and her more dressed-down approach gave me more ideas for how to style it. Out came the leopard print booties, leather jacket, and other Amy's (from sixth form/Liverpool) lipstick that I borrowed stole from her last night, and I felt slightly more "me". This is definitely an after-dark outfit - all the best ones are! - and although I don't think I'll be in a rush to wear bodycon in the day any time soon, I'm slowly being brought round to its virtues. I do like a good LBD (little black dress, for those of you who don't use hip 'n' cool acronyms), but in future I think I'll be sticking to skater styles - more room for dinner! I'm planning to wear this particular one to Selena's twenty-first this weekend, but it's a bit different to my "just going to the pub" (and then come home at 3am) white tee and skirt combination. They do say that life is like a box of chocolates after all, just maybe they're liqueur ones.

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I don't care how long this lasts, we have no future, we have no past.

T-Shirt: Collective. Shorts: £54, American Apparel. Cheap Monday sunglasses: c/o Surfdome. Anna boots: £76.50, Topshop. Ring: £1.25, vintage. Nail varnish: Heart of Gold, Topshop.

When it comes to buying anything over a fiver, I have a routine. It starts with lust: often a short-lived sensation, which finishes when I see the next must-have; if I leave the shop still remembering it exists, we're onto a winner. Then it's time to go back and ask myself if I really need it. More often than not, I tell myself it's necessary to further my existence, and head straight to the changing rooms. After inspecting from every angle, it's time to ask the internet if it's a good idea (come on, we all have), and after you group of enablers have told me that I need it too, it's off to the tills to hand over my weeping visa. That's what happened when it came to these shorts, and I haven't quite got round to shopper's remorse (the next stage). Soon enough, I was whipping out these Surfdome Cheap Monday sunglasses and my favourite white tee, and dragging my mum over to Writtle sunflowers to take some photos in their natural habitat. And, you know, to get some sunflowers. They're quite nice.

Apart from spending time among my flowery pals this week, I travelled up to Kendal for a long weekend to visit Clarity, and Sita popped over for the day too, - a true university reunion! We spent one of the days in Windermere, wandering along some rather steep hills to Beatrix Potter's house to explore where she'd written Peter Rabbit and, my favourite, the Tailor of Gloucester. Of course it would be my "sensible shoes" which ended up giving me a blister, but it was lovely to spend a while somewhere new and eat a lot of olives!

I did spend the entirety of my Lake District adventures in jeans, but in the spirit of this post (and cancelled Saturday night plans) I scoured the internet for some of my favourite patterned shorts, let me know if you find any more good'uns.

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