Festival Essentials

So the festival season is well and truly upon us with V Festival taking place in Chelmsford this weekend, Reading and Leeds Festivals happening next weekend, Bestival starting on the 9th September and of course all the other local festivals happening in your area over the next few weeks. If you are anything like me and a little bit of a festival newby (this being my second festival experience) i thought i would write about the essentials - which i believe you shouldn't head to a festival without - to keep you looking tip top all weekend!

1. Outfits - My first festival was a bit of a fashion nightmare! I spent most of the weekend looking like a homeless boy due to the unexpected leading me to believe that you take rubbish clothes which you can mess up as much as possible. This is not the case!!!! This year i have put together outfits which are light to carry and comfortable to wear for an entire day! I have chosen an outfit for each day, wearing the heaviest items on my travels so i don't have to endure any uncessary weight whilst carrying my bags to the campsite!  

I have also packed a warm hoodie to sleep in and some spair leggings, top and dress in case of any emergency!

 After all this nasty British weather recently, i have invested in a khaki parka jacket from Very.co.uk. Not only is it fitting with this season hottest new colours, it goes with all of my outfits, again it is light and comfortable and it will keep me warm and dry should the skies decide to open upon us!

2. Beauty - I think it's important to still look as good as possible even though you may be without showers, hairstraightners and all the usual day to day electrics to keep us in top shape. I don't mean taking an extra bag dedicated to beauty products - you're there to have fun, not spend the whole day getting ready! Keep make-up products to as few as possible. Concealer, Foundation, Eyeliner, Eyeshadow and Mascara are my choices. These are all small enough to carry lightly and easily. When it comes to hair i couldn't venture away from my home comforts without a dry shampoo. My favourite is Andrew Barton Dry Shampoo as it makes my hair grease free and has a lovely vanilla fragrance. This should save your locks for at least 2 days, however after this i may recommend wearing a hat or a headscarf.

I paint my nails almost every day. I hate having naked nails and this weekend will be no exception! I'm opting for a nude pink colour to provide a natural look rather than anything to OTT and it matches all my clothes so i dont experience any clashing! I will take a clear varnish with me to apply overcoats to try and prevent chipping as much as possible! Another benefit to painting nails over a festival weekend is that it hides any dirt which may start to appear under your nails! If that's not a top tip - i dont know what is!

3. Accessories - It may just be me, but not being a particularly "boho" person in real life, a few days living in a field can change me from the girliest of girls to eco green hippy in an instant! I don't tend to load up on accessories when i go away as they are often the heaviest part of my luggage and i don't want to risk losing any of my treasured possetions this weekend! With this in mind, this weekend i shall be taking;

1. Oui Oui Earrings - ElsieBelle

2. Peacock Feathered Headband - Primark

3. Satchel - Very.co.uk

4. Purple Headscarf - H&M (We are talking years ago so may not be available)

5. Cowboy Hat - to be purchased on site as i ran out of shopping time!  

4. Hygiene - Noone likes to talk the nitty gritty of personal hygiene, so i'll keep this section short and sweet! Remember the option of showers may be limited where you go. You can purchase solar showers which warm up during the day (providing there is sunshine of course) however one of my funniest memories of last year is watching a couple of my friends try to use this wonderful device and without much luck!! Therefore i advise to stock up on hundreds of baby wipes to use instead! If they are good enough for babies then they're good enough for us! You can pick these up from your local supermarket for next to nothing for about 90 wipes! They also can be doubled up as cleansing wipes to remove make-up after a long day of partying!

Hand Sanitiser - this is super important! The toilets i have experienced tend to have sanitiser units, but remember - if these run out you will have nothing to clean your hands with and being in a field with thousands of other party goers - this would not be pleasant!!! Hand santiser is available pretty much everywhere these days and comes in a small bottle to fit in your handbag - perfect to use whenever you need it!

Loo Roll - It's obvious you won't be doing your business everywhere and anywhere, however take some loo roll when you go if you can! Thousands of people using the same loos all day will result in a shortage of paper! That's all i need to say!

5. Safety - Last but not least, as well as having a brilliant, fun weekend - stay safe!!!! The last thing anyone wants is a tragic end to an event you have been looking forward to for months!

 - Stay Together! Even if you just need to venture out to the loo for 2 minutes, take someone with you - especially if it's dark!

 - Buy your own drink! We've all been there - you get chatting to some hottie, they offer to buy you a drink and you let them toddle off to the bar alone, bringing you back what you only presume is a beer. The truth is you have no idea if it is just beer so make sure if you are lucky enough to meet Mr or Miss Cutie, you go with them to get your drinks - no matter how long the queue is!

 - Pack only what you need! Anything you usually carry in your handbag that you won't need - leave at home! My advice is to withdraw money that you need before you head off and leave all bank or credit cards at home. ID may be required, but try to apply for a cheap ID card before the event so you don't risk losing a passport or driving license!

 - Drink & Eat Sensibly! We are all going to enjoy a few bevvies over festival weekend! Buying drink for our tent was pretty near the top of my festival to-do list! However, don't go overboard! You don't want to risk being asked to leave, making a fool of yourself, potentially ruining other peoples weekends or having a hangover so bad that you miss the event the following day!!! Try to drink as much water as you do alcohol - especially if you are drinking throughout the whole day - to keep you hydrated and try to have something to eat before you start drinking so that something can soak up some of your alcohol!

Most of all peeps - if you are heading to a festival in the next few weeks - HAVE FUN!!!!!!! I'll follow this post up with pictures of my weekend of shannanigans next week!

xxx

E is for Eyes

Another Finishing School challenge has been set by the lovely Lottie and this week we are talking about eyes.

Me wearing my glasses

The first challenge Lottie has set is to go and have an eye test. I have a wierd thing about eyes - they freak me out abit if i'm honest! However i wish to keep good care of my eyes and a few years back we recently discovered that my dear nana has a touch of glaucoma, an eye disease which can be hereditory through women in the family at an older age and therefore i tend to have eye tests every year just to make sure my eyes are in tip top condition! Last year i was told that i am becoming slightly long sighted and was prescribed very weak strength glasses to use at work for computer and close up work. The glasses aren't anything special - just the basics from Specsavers but i really love them and wearing them at work can sometimes work really well with whichever outfit i have on that day - never mind the health benefits - they look fab and i gain a real sense of secreterial power! (I'm not a secretary though...) I can be a little naughty at times and often forget to wear them for days on end, but be assured that as i write this i have made sure i am wearing them!

Grace Woodward

I am not quite ready to embrace the full geek chic of the glasses look - i feel that larger frames do not suit my face at all, but i wish i could because i adore the look which seems to be more and more acceptable than in previous years when glasses were just considered geek and not chic! Has anyone seen Grace Woodward on Britains Next Top Model!!! (right) She is stunning and i think her glasses are a great accessory, giving her character as well as enhanced beauty.

Specsavers have recently ran a competition for Spectacle Wearer of the Year. I believe this competition is now closed but it is great to see such an original competition and supported by the beautiful, well known Kelly Brook. I personally hope they run this again next year.

With or without my specs i make sure i am wearing make up everyday. Whether it is full on nothing spared make up or just the basics on a lazy day, having that little bit of slap on makes me feel a million times better. My usual day make up routine is as follows;

1. Garnier Caffiene Anti Dark Circles Roll On - This product was a present, given to me at Easter and i am officially hooked. I have previously used the original Caffiene Roll On, but i love this one because not only is it cooling and refreshes my eye area, it also has a touch of concealer in it so gives a great under eye base before applying foundation. I carry it with me and apply throughout the day when my eyes begin to tire from the strains of my working day.

2. Foundation - I use foundation every single day. I don't feel as though my skin looks "right" without it. In the last year i have switched to higher priced branded foundation as i wasn't happy with how the high street products made my skin feel, often leaving it powdery or greasy. The one i am using at the moment is Clinique's Perfectly Real Foundation as it applies so lightly, makes my skin feel soft and smooth and has real staying power. As i tend to use just a touch of foundation in summer days it stays on for most of my day and i do not have to reapply once.

3. Under Eye Concealer - Ladies, if you are anything like me you will never be without an under eye concealer. I always have really dark circles under my eyes and this is why i tend to use both the Roll On and Concealer. I have seen some people spend crazy amounts of money on concealers, yet i use a much cheaper product - Collection2000 illuminating-touch-concealer. It works brilliantly for me and lasts for ages! Just a couple of spots under the eye needed, blend and you are ready to go without the dark circles!

4. Eyeliner - I love eyeliner, you can get so many different versions and colours now and because of this it's becoming one of my favourite parts of my make up routine! I tend to have "phases" of eyeliner. At the moment i am using liquid as i love how it just glides across my eye, stays put better than a pencil - especially in this hot summer weather and makes my eyes look much more structured. I just line it from the inside corner of my eye all the way across and depending on my mood i occasionally add a small flick just at the outer corner. I use Rimmel's Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner as it has a great pen effect so is easy to apply and is as black as it could get.

5. Eyeshadow - I'm not a huge fan of hording colour after colour of eyeshadow. I know which colours suit my eyes and i stick to them. Having green eyes i find that for a day look, neutral browns, pinks and dark greens suit me best. For a night time look i tend to opt for darker purples. This metallic neutral eyeshadow from Rimmel is a firm favourite for my daytime look or if i feel like a slightly softer look, i'll opt for a light pink. I just sweep over the lid using a fair sized brush, carefully avoiding any not quite dry liner and dab in the inner corner to open my eyes out a little more.

6. Mascara - If i am lacking in energy and all the above is just too much to face, i will always flick on a layer or two of mascara. I do love my eyelashes as they are naturally long and are full on both the top and bottom, i can get away without wearing any mascara yet i'm addicted to how mascara just elongates my lashes even more! I am yet to find my one true mascara as i find they all do similar things, and with what seems to be a new one coming out every week i like to try new different products if i can. This month i am slightly torn as i am due for a new mascara and the one i have been using - Maybelline lash-stiletto ultimate length mascara has served me well. I don't remember having a day where i had clumpy or unnatractive lashes and for that reason I may be purchasing this one again - unless something truly wonderful catches my eye in the process!

This process takes me less than 15 minutes a day to complete and makes all the difference to how i feel about myself. I am all for applying make-up to make yourself feel better, yet i do recommend removing make up at the end of every day, whether this is with cleansing wipes or facial washes, cleansers or scrubs. Having at least one make-up free day a week is also a good idea if you can to let your skin breathe for a long period of time. This doesn't mean not applying anything, but the products which are applied straight onto the skin such as foundation and concealer are best to avoid if you can just for this one day. I tend to opt for Sundays as i spend more time at home during this day and i feel much more refreshed when i apply again on a monday morning.

xxx

Dad & Jills Wedding

Apologies for taking so long writing this up but i've had abit of an odd and stressful week!

Anyway, last Saturday was the day of my Dad & Jill's Wedding - event of the year so far for little old me! The day started early - up at 9am to begin getting ready, leave home at 11am to be in North Walsham for 12noon to pick up our corsage flowers from the Bride to be, who had a houseful of people! (My flower broke after a second, but with some clever pin arranging i managed to fix it for the ceremony!) To then move on to meet my somewhat nervous (but good nervous) Dad for a pre wedding drink with our close family and some friends of his.

The rain managed to ease off just before the ceremony and stay that way until after the photographs - thank you mister weather man! The service itself was lovely, very small and intimate but still with just as much impact! Silly me found it all abit too emotional and about 2 minutes in i started to blub like a baby! Someone had to pass me a tissue as i hadn't even prepared myself for tears! In all seriousness though, Jill looked beautiful and apart from my dads one classic comment which will go down in wedding history ("Right is that it? we done now?" imagine said with the thickest london accent!) and the registrar not being able to work a cd player - everything was perfect.

From the registry office we headed to a local pub for wedding photographs, this place has a lovely huge garden and is one of the newly wed's local watering holes! The photo's are going to look amazing and i cannot wait to see them! When they come back, i am planning on having a few made up for myself so i will try to post some of the professional ones on here - unfortunately for now, you will have to make do with my shoddy photographing work! (below!)

The reception itself was brilliant. A scrumptious 3 course dinner consisting of smoked salmon to start, followed by roast beef with all the trimmings and finishing with the most gorgeous lemon cheesecake - which was all well needed after a few too many G&T's and Pimms and wine and champers..... :-) Dad and Lee (the best man and my older half brother) followed dinner with their speeches, dad's speech set me off into tears galore - again! Something Lee has photographed for my embarrassment, thanks Lee! After that the evening began and was filled with laughter, a little dancing, lots more drinking and yes of course, more tears from an emotional daughter!

Overall the day was so lovely, i was so proud of my dad and so happy to see all my family in one place again - lots of them live far away so we don't keep in touch that often! Most of all i am so happy to welcome Jill and her son Sebastian to our family and wish lots of happy future memories for all of them. I'm a little sad that the day is over, it was one of those days that you wished could last forever! However, being realistic the day did end but i managed to capture some fab pictures of the day! Here are just a few of my favourites; xxx