twelve hours.

three 2,500 word essays.

BRING IT.

(though i definitely think it's a mistake for someone of my small stature and size to consume over 1 litre of Redbull... in less than eight hours.

i can feel my heart in my ears.)

In California, Joanna Newsom

this is one of my favourite songs in the whole wide world and though it's a little slow to start, as it progresses your heart will grow and swell,
with pride and you'll want to tell your dearest friends about this little song - i swear it's true (and just FYI, the best bit starts at one minute fifty-two).

residing in central london means that i pass a plethora of shops on a daily basis (sometimes twice or even thrice!) and temptation can be had to resist. so one day, i didn't and i bought these gorgeously elegant, jewelled chandelier earrings.

thank you accessorize!

ps. Lorna at Haphazard Afternoon has a wonderful little blog that is feeling rather unloved, so go over and check it out; she's even having a giveaway!

flightless bird american mouth, iron & wine

(flickr) & (flickr)

books thick and heavy with dust, making my eyes itch and twitch
and slowly rebuilding my trust amongst the pages
as my nose is buried firm for ages and ages,
inhaling in arguments and theories.
university does make me weary and tired with all these words,
but words are good as gold today, because today,
i finally TOLD.

Fredika Stahl, Oh Sunny Sunny Day

when the heavens cast their crystalised blanket over the earth, dusting everything in its bitingly cold white winter coat, extra measures must be taken to protects one's ears.

cue a fluffy monstrosity which possesses the ability to muddle observers and muffle sounds - an excellent combination.

(hat - ASOS)

Ludvico Einaudi, Fairytale

hair piled heavily on my head,
"like a pressing weight,"
languishingly i said,
long and downwardly fated
with breath baited,
until it all tumbles down

ribbon bows, by joanna newsom

pretty in pink was decidedly influential today, though it ended up providing no impetus whatsoever to venture beyond my front door.

it appears that sometimes, what we think we want to do, or who we want, or ANYTHING, turns out not to be what we want at all.

so i just need to get back to doing what i like best,







(the last one is a little grainy, but i like that).
photos, taken by me with my manual SLR (that kicks all other digibombs SLRs' butts).

ps.
i am eternally grateful for Laura at Noir Nouvelle for telling me how to put music on here; everything is now perfect and complete.

Ins
- chocolate raisins
- ultra nourishing deep conditioning treatments (consisting of honey, aloe vera gel and my new favourite conditioner Dark 'n' Lovely Cholestrol treatment...sounds DELICIOUS, doesn't it?)
- surprising friends ;)
- sword shaped hair sticks
- leopard nails!



Outs
- the hurricane worthy winds whipping through the country!
- the bitingly cold weather which leave my fingers fragile and frosty
- essay writing and procrastination
- being in a LDR, i want to see R RIGHT NOW! :(

(BE PREPARED FOR A MASSIVE POST)

this sunday has been one of burnt fingers and scalded palms, through my own culinary efforts! i admit, however, that my tastebuds are thanking me profusely as i lie, immobile from the over-consumption of the fruits of my labour!

"reading week" traditionally translates as "procrastination week", so i cooked! and baked! i've had an unerving addiction to wagamams recently (three times in 1 week) and it was a costly habit, so i decided to make my own favourite dish: yasai katsu curry! after scouring the web for recipes (wagamamas seem to be very protective over their dish) i finally stumbled upon one here, on this lovely blog (THANK YOU WONDERFUL WOMAN, I PRAISE YOU! the recipe and instructions are all hers).

for your convinience, i've got the instructions below and a picture of my dish!

INGREDIENTS:
for the sauce:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 3 cox apples (peeled and diced)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 small onion
- 1 tablespoon of ketchup
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1/2 a tablespoon of tumeric
- 2 tablespoons of madras (hot) curry powder
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 cups of vegetable stock
- 4 cups of water
- 3 tablespoons of cornflour

for the vegetables:
-1 sweet potato
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 cup of breadcrumbs

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. in a large saucepan, melt the butter and then add the apples, bananas, onions and garlic
2. stir continually for 2 minutes, or until softened
3. add the three cups of water, ketchup, honey, tumeric and curry powder. stir well!
4. simmer for 10 minutes, then add the vegetable stock, 3 tablespoons of cornflour and the remaining cup of water.
5. simmer for 30 minutes till thickened and reduced.
6. (here, the original recipe said to drain the liquidfrom solids through a colander, but i'm lazy so i didn't) so instead, i just whizzed the whole lot in a blender!
7. keep on a heat till ready to serve.
8. for the vegetables, cut the butternut squash and sweet potato into 1cm thick circles.
9. dip the slices in flour, then egg and finally the breadcrumbs.
10. fill a frying pan with oil, all over and fry the slices on both sides, until they are really crispy and gorgeous.
11. drain on a paper towel and serve with rice and a green salad. drizzle over with the sauce and enjoy!

i admit, the sauce doesn't taste exactly like wagamamas, but it tastes delicious still anyway!





and for dessert, I made these gorgeous cupcakes following a recipes over at Poodles and Pearls! they were the fluffliest, lightest cupcakes i have EVER made - it was like eating delicious chocolatey air!









oh and over at The Freelancer's Fashionblog is a WONDERFUL giveaway! I remember reading on her blog a few months back about the jewelery at Hoocie Mama Jane and falling in absolute love with the earrings. so imagine my sheer DELIGHT when i see these gorgeous earrings are being given away!

little excitable me has been furiously watching youtube videos of halloween makeup, and the arrival of my contacts, (purchased HERE) resulted in me being unable to contain my excitment, and actually try out my vampire look.
naturally, when i actually venture out as a vampire, i shall be wearing my fangs, my black corset, my black pencil skirt and have copious amounts of fake blood trickling down my chin - we have guests this evening, hence the lacking of such items!

using michelle phan's tutorial as my source, i transformed plain little ol' me into a seductive (hah) , temptress of a vampire.
the products i used differed from michelle's, but only in these sense of brand, and i've provided a little picture and a comprehensive list.

face
-GOSH velvet touch primer
- GOSH x-ceptional wear foundation
- MAC prep+prime powder

eyes
- sleek pallette in "storm" to replace all the eyeshadows in the michelle phan video
- rimmel kohl eyeliner (not pictured)
- estee lauder projectionist mascara
- eyelure false eyelashes cut in half, no.100

lips
- revlon's matte lipstick in 010, wine not for 1st layer
- revlon's matte lipstick in 006, really red for second layer

this is the first time that i've EVER worn contacts, and i couldn't bloody get them in! i had to hold open my eyes whilst my mother carefully put them in. they gave me blurry weird vision for about 20 minutes immediantly afterwards, but after that my vision was absolutely perfect. no irritation, nada.
i think contacts will be my new obssession - i desperately want a violet pair and ice blue ones.

what do you guys think? what are you planning to be for halloween?

ps.
Gem Fatale is having a wee giveaway HERE and the prize is a free manicure! i love the hot lips one personally, as i like the notion of having little weeny kisses all over my nails.

with the thought of halloween swirling around in my head, i recently bought this lipstick from the souless emporium that is topshop. the shade is called "beguiled", was exchanged for my six of my precious golden pounds and is irresitibly wanton.

applied on my pigmented lips, the colour is a sumptious, dark berry shade that is ultra-vampish. i have yet to wear this out (frightened little me), but will definitely be wearing it as part of my halloween costume ensemble (vampire, before anyone asks, incredibly unimaginative).
it's not as long lasting as my favourite lipsticks, (Revlon's Matte) as it is a creamy formula, but the lasting power is pretty decent, so long as morsels do not pass those lips and everything is greedily drunk up through a straw.

i've also been working a centre parting these last couple of days, and am unsure whether upon glancing on me, images of nerdy thirteen year old girls are conjured up? as anyone with bangs can sympathise, they are a BITCH to grow out.

(one again, i apologise for the failure that are my webcam pictures - i really must permanently steal my brothers camera.)

apologies for the lack of posting - after i squashed myself into a laundry bag, i moved myself and my belongings to my new flat and i have only JUST got internet today - after moving in ten days ago!

my fingers have been itching, my eyes twitching BUT, my debit card is decidedly less bruised and battered! i've complied a wee little list of things i am lusting over, whilst i gather some photos for more exciting posts!

- OPI's bring on the bling
- KORA organics cream cleanser
- KORA organics soothing moisturiser
- KORA organics rosehip oil
- bralet, topshop
- earrings, both accessorize
- satin handle handbag, accessorize
- flower hair clips, accessorize

my achievements for the day?

- eating a whole packet of oreos whilst fending off two teenage boys
- fitting inside a laundry bag (packing for university is a SNORE)


what are your achievements for the day?

nailspiration has been heavy on my head these past few days and has resulted in the painting of nails tonight (and the purchasing of four very much unecessary varnishes!). pictured below we have my first Model's Own varnish - Champagne, No.7 in Oyster and No.7 Mattifying Top Coat.

to acheive the look below, i simply applied two coats of the oyster varnish, then a coat of the mattifying varnish (which, BTW, i LOVE. i think matte nails ARE DA BOMB. definitely going to be seen on my spritely fingers in the next few weeks). I then finished off with applying the champagne haphazardly around the bed of my nails.


the model's own isn't what i expected - i wanted a gold, big particle nail varnish but somehow ended up with a silvery/gold super finely milled glitter polish. still love it though. and, having never tried a no.7 nail varnish before, i am wholly impressed as application was SUPER DOOPER easy and, having claimed to be "super dry", i can confirm that the oyster dried in absolute RECORD time. so did the mattfying varnish in fact, resulting in super speedy nails. No.7 is on three for two at the moment (my third item was a cheeky teal varnish, which i shall debut shortly, i am sure).


regarding the war paint today, i decided to play up my eyes rather than my previously favoured lips as i missed kissing R without smearing red all over his bearded face - and there was a whole lotta kissing lately, because he left yesterday to return to Bournemouth for his second year at university. :(

my hair style is just like the one a few posts down, except with tumbles and looseness, rather than held by an army of hairgrips and bun nets.

face
- GOSH Velvet Touch primer
- bourjois 10 hour sleep effect, no. 71
- MAC prep+prime powder
- MAC blusher in "style"

eyes
- MAC eyeshadow in "tempting"
- Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner
- Maxfactor Masterpiece mascara
- Maxfactor False Lash Effect
- brown eyeshadow from Sleek "Storm" pallete to fill eyebrows

red appears to be a shade that is predominatly featuring on my person lately, whether in the form of handbag, shoes, lipstick, nails or IN SOME KIND OF FOURSOME ALL AT ONCE.

i'm going to showcase the latter two, however. i recently decided to purchase Barry M's red glitter nailvarnish and i am inexplicably happy that i did. essentially, it's like pasting dorothy's red slippers directly onto your fingernails AND THEN SOME. so i did just that.

it applies like a dream and requires two measly coats to achieve a glitteryness beyond belief. it dries extremley quickly and doesn't chip easily. yay glitter! (for better pictures of the glitter, i shall direct you to my best friend's blogpost, as she has a digital SLR that blows my shitty little digi OUT OF THE WATER).




those more observant of you may have noticed that i am fluttering little half moons at you from my fingers. this is a look reminscent of the flappers in the 1920s and is what Dita Von Tesse favours on her claws. it's incredibly simple to do - just get those stickers from french tips except change the placement to the bottom of the nail and paint!



this lipstick has also featured heavily as of late. though not technically red, MAC's Viva Glam Cyndi is a corally red colour as i've mentioned before and somehow, very irresponsably, my camera has decided to picture is as much more of a coral than the coral-red it is. this is a truly gorgeous shade and LE, so I shall be stocking up ASAP as they are being taken off the shelves a year after their realease, the date of which is rapidly approaching!


ooh, and Katie is having a giveaway, which includes a prize that i desperately want to get my manicured hands one, after sampling my best friend's - the Body Shop lipstain!

LONG TIME NO SEE!
i seem to continually have long hiatuses between posts - this habit has become routine. though i shall strive not to make it so (i promise!).

thank you for all those lovely comments on my last post (those have accumlated over time, they are never usually so well read) and for pushing up the number past the elusive 100! the little giveaway shall be announced shortly...when funds have not been so friviously depleted, wrongfully emptied and when i can afford to buy those little treats (Friday = PAYDAY)!

today was a day that was spent chasing noses with tissues and tucked knees under duvets, as i am trying to battle a cold before it's clutches can fully grasp my health. to aide my recovery, a spell of hairstyling and a makeover!


keeping my hair in it's side parting, i victory rolled one side of my head, attempted to do the other but settled for twisting my hair then pushing it up. then, i plaited the rest of my hair and wound in a very large and messy bun, secured with pins and a hairnet (that is sadly camoflagued amongst my hair). there are multitude of tutorials on youtube which demonstrate dozen of gorgeous vintage hairstyles (with this being my favourite).

in regards to makeup, i am wearing Revlon's Matte lipstick in 006 Really Red, Bobbi Brown's Lasting Foundation in 002 Sand, Barry M's nailpaint in Mushroon (such a letdown) and Maxfactor mascara.

the last product, IS A PRODUCT RAVE! i've actually used two maxfactor mascaras - a primary coat of false lash effect, followed by a secondary coat of masterpiece max and the results are AMAZING. My eyelashes are seperated, full and incredibly long - my mum demanded to know why i had coupled false eyelashes with my scotty dog pajamas.


have you ever used it? DONTCHA JUST LOVE IT?

on a whim - that sort that flutters into your head for the briefest of moments, for lack of belief that it will actually happen - i entered Lily loves Lola's April Giveaway, AND I WON!!

Victoria, from the aforementioned blog, made up a little package that she had tailored specifically to me and after much awaiting and longing, i finally came home from university and saw my little white box awaiting me! Victoria had wrriten me the sweetest note and filled the box with items that were so accordingly ME!
inside...
- Barry M nail paint #273
- Buzz bath products (a heart bath melt and a CUPCAKE BATHBOMB!) :D
- a tiger ring


each and every gift is completely perfect, especially the ring as I had lusted over a similar ring from ASOS a few months back! and the cupacke is literally cute enough to eat; i shall have to pluck up enough courage to use it one day, but it's just too glittery and blue and beautiful to use!

so thank you very much victoria, you made my day!
and also, a reminder that once i reach 100 followers, i shall have a little giveaway myself....!

after my celebratory shopping trip, i paid a little celebratory visit to bournemouth to visit R. lady luck was on my side and i went when the weather was SCORCHING. cue crabbing (which no, is not dogging on the beach) and three days lazing on the golden sands of bournemouth beach.

aaah.