HELLO

31.3.11

Mini Haul!

Amazingly I have been doing a lot of hauls recently, and I usually complain about my lack of shopping! So today (Sunday 26th), I went shopping at Asda. My boyfriends mum gave me a £15 voucher for my birthday (probably for me to buy food), so I treated myself to some goodies from Asda!
From left to right: Big Girl by Danielle Steel, Bridget Jones's Diary DVD, Johnsons Baby Natural Intense Moisture Cream, Blemish Mud Face Mask, Elephant Earings, Feather Earings. And here is a close up of the earings!


30.3.11

OOTD: 50's Style Jeans


Today's outfit was in total defiance to the weather. It's been beautifully sunny in London for over a week, and today it decided to be horrible overcast. So I decided to wear a summery outfit. Back in Summer of 2010 I wore these jeans rolled up 50's styleeee, and now I have worn then again in this way.
Jeans from Topshop, rolled up, Shoes from New Look, Cardigan from Lee Cooper (Men's), Tee from Banana Republic, Bag by Calvin Klein, Scarf from New Look.
So I get get severely rained on, but oh well! I visited Kentish Town again, and had a concept meeting with my collaborative project group. We went to Kentish Town City Farm, and I was blown away by how much it made me miss home. I'm going back to Oxford on Sunday, for 4 weeks, so I look forward to seeing many familiar faces and visiting some new restaurants! Love, 

29.3.11

OOTD: Masculine, with Lady Like Details

Top from Banana Republic, Cardigan and Trousers from New Look, Shoes and Necklace from Topshop, Scarf from New Look, Bag by Calvin Klein.
Well today was pretty average! Nothing special, I ran a few errands, went to Asda, went to the library and got a tonne of books of for my new food blog which of course you should check out! Love,

28.3.11

About Me Tag!

I have tried to film this tag as a video like five times, but my STUPID Dell really isn't playing fair, so I have written the answers! I would love to hear your responses to the questions, so comment below!
Do you have a middle name?
Yes, my middle name is Natasha
What was your favourite school subject?
At A-Level I loved photography, and for years I have enjoyed English Language.
What's your favourite drink?
Skinny Vanilla Chai Latte! (Thank you Natalya)
What names do you have in mind for children?
Aeva Rose (pronounced A-VAH) for a girl, and Jake for a boy
Do you do any sports?
I am so lazy! But recently I have been working out for 1/2-1 hour a day. I have no idea how I have committed to it, but I think having my holiday in May as a goal definitely helps. I also love swimming and running, but I can't do either in London which is a shame. 
What is your favourite book?
Alan Sugar's Autobiography "What you see is what you get". For me Alan Sugar is an idol, and his book is an incredibly raw and honest story.
What is your favourite colour?
Despite what many people who live in my apartment might think, it is not pink! It is more likely to be purple, but generally I love anything neutral and easy to work with. 
Favorite animal?
When I was younger I adored dolphins, but I went swimming with them (in the sea) in Australia and they scared the crap out of me. Then I got obsessed with lizards (Alex, my boyfriend, had two!) and now I think it's dogs because I really want a pug. 
Favourite perfume?
Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel. I don't have it with me, because I keep it at my Mum's house as it is very special to me.
Favourite Holiday season?
Christmas! Because it's like everyones birthday.
Have you graduated high school?
Yes, I graduated high school 3 years ago, and I completed my A-Levels last Summer. I am now at University.
Have you ever been out of the country?
Yes, I have been to Australia, Dubai, Singapore, Scotland and France. My last trip out of the country was with my boyfriend and we went to Paris.
What languages can you speak?
English and je suis parle francais!
Do you have any siblings?
Yes I have one sister, Chloe, who is 16.
What is your favourite store?
Probably Zara or Banana Republic. I sometimes like Topshop, but recently their collections haven't grabbed me, and I believe they are over priced.
Favourite restaurant?
Wagamamas
Did you like school?
Yes I loved high school and sixth form. Not always for the social side, but definitely academically. I think it is part of the reason I am still studying, I enjoy learning new things and soaking up information!
Favourite Youtuber?
Anna Saconne and Jonathon Joly. I first came across Anna's channel after Dulce Candy mentioned it, and I became hooked! Last year, Anna and her fiance Jonathon started 'daily vlogging', and it is literally the sunshine everyday!
Favourite movie?
Bridget Jones's Diary, The Devil Wear's Prada and Legally Blonde. Sorry, I couldn't decide!
Favourite TV show?
Gossip Girl! Although I live in England, I watch the American airings, as they are 1 month earlier than the British airings! I cannot wait that long for Chuck.
PC or MAC?
I work on PC very unhappily. If you follow me on Twitter then you will regularly see tweets of me complaining about my stupid Dell. I am trying to save for a Macbook Pro in September.
What phone do you have?
I currently use a Blackberry Curve, but I am harboring after a Bold or the new Torch.
And finally, how tall are you?
I am five foot, five and a half. Very important half. I do feel short but I know realistically that my height is pretty average!!


Now I would love to hear you guys' answers! Please comment below and I will talk again soon! Love,
 

27.3.11

Student Life Round Up: Term 2

Hi everyone! I did a post way back in December, which was a summary of how life as a student had been during my first term. I got some lovely emails and comments saying how the frank honesty of the post really helped put university and student life into perspective. In honour of this, I have decided to write a post summarizing my second term of student life.
I have learnt alot this term, again both academically and in the life skills department! I will try and keep this concise but I can see it being a huge list!
Good

  • You continue to meet interesting and exciting people, including guest lecturers, external exhibitions and shows, and talking to course mates (and people on other courses) who you haven't met before
  • A/W Fashion Week! I was lucky enough to attend, and there is so much I have learnt from the experience, from PR dealings, to writing up a show, behavior and greeting people ect...
  • Writing for Ana-rchy Magazine. If you were not already aware, I am the Senior Beauty Writer at Ana-rchy Magazine. This position was a real right place, and right people, at the right time do! I am so privileged to have this role and take my work there very seriously
  • My cookery skills, knowledge, and overall obsession has continued to grow, and now I have a library card (GET ONE) I am able to broaden my knowledge further
  • I have celebrated my birthday was my fantastic friends- term 2 really secures who your going to be closest to, as you begin searching for houses/apartments for September
Bad
  • No matter how hard you try, you simply will not change the bad habits of others. Several of my flat mates never wash up, take the rubbish out, hoover, or in any way contribute to the running of the apartment. In the end, you may as well stop wasting your time and energy, and just continue keeping your space and your things in order
  • Certain flat mates will also continue to steal your things, despite making it obvious that you don't want them to. Leaving notes does not work
  • If you fall out with a flat mate, just leave it. Unless you consider them a dear friend, there is no point stressing over the issue. You won't be living with them much longer
  • Tube travel will never improve. Weekend closures will forever be irritating. Everything will always be an hour away.
  • Course work can be incredibly tough, but you just have to stay organized, and calm (see my post on dealing with stress). Keep an up to date to do list, diary and manage your time well. It will pay off in the end!
  • Some lecturers will always annoy you!
  • Being seriously skint really does suck. Mistakes in last terms spending will definitely affect your life in term two. It's a learning experience, but that doesn't make living off £10 a week any easier
General
  • Honestly, the homesickness does go away! I promise. I have only been home once this term and I genuinely do not miss it. Of course I miss my family, but they are always a phone call away
  • Sunshine is on its way! YAY! So get out with your friends, go to parks and really enjoy the freedom at the end of term of knowing you have no work set.
  • Term three, however, is really tough. Establish collaborative work ground rules ASAP, and make tutors aware of any problems in the group. The longer you leave it, the worse the situation can become. 
  • Remember every day why you are doing this. Your degree is one of the most expensive things in your life, and some times it can seem like a waste of time and money. Don't despair, and remember why you are doing it. 
  • Black out blinds, ear plugs and eye masks are a good investment!
  • As are room rugs, and good bedding and towels! Also, candles may be banned, but the fire alarms don't pick them up, so enjoy!
  • Healthy Eating and Exercise are super super important and genuinely improve your living and working life. Exercising doesn't mean going to the gym and paying mad fees- set up your own work out area in your room (see my post on The Beach Body), and healthy food is often cheaper than the processed crap foods!
Well I hope this was helpful for some of you. Let me know if you are going to uni in September, or if you started this year! How are you preparing/living? What are your good and bad points. Love, 

26.3.11

OOTD: The Boat Race

Today is the annual Oxford V Cambridge Boat Race, and lucky for me it is actually held in London. So as Chiswick Park holds host to this most upheld of traditions, thousands of people flock from all over the country to oversea the race. Obviously I am supporting Oxford, and will be heading down to Chiswick Park to watch the race from the finish line! If you read this and you are heading down there then leave me a comment and we will meet up!
So this is is my outfit for the day. We chose to dress semi-formal as it is quite a prestigious event!
 Dress from Banana Republic, Shoes from Topshop, Bag from Calvin Klein, Cardigan from New Look, Scarf from Oxford Market, Bracelets from Topshop, Necklace (long) from Topshop
 No7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder (10, Fair), MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer (NC20), MAC Paint Pot (Bare Study), All About Face Eyeshadow (Buttermilk), Rimmel Exaggerate Eyeliner (100% Black), No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara (01, Black), MAC Sheertone Blush (Tendering), MAC  Lustre Lipstick (Angel)
Ballerina hair. Create a tight bun at the nape of your neck, but allow a small amount of hair to be free at the front. Pin the thicker side of hair back, over the ear. On the other side create a tiny braid, and pin back. Hope you are all well. Are you going to the boat race today? See you there! Love, 

25.3.11

Outfit of The Night: Birthday Meal

Hello everyone! I have an outfit of the night for you today, which I haven't done since my New Years look! It was my birthday on the 21st, and on the 22nd I went to dinner at Prezzo in Mayfair with my close friends. The meal was lovely, and the outfits were equally as fun to construct. Here's what I wore:
Dress by Rare at Topshop, Grey Booties from New Look
I used the No7 Define and Shimmer Eye Pallete to create a brown smoked eye, and I used my new Angel lipstick by MAC.

24.3.11

OOTD: 50's Dress


Spring has finally sprung! We've been waiting long enough so I am super glad it's here. What are you wearing to welcome Spring? Is it still cold where you live! Have you checked out my new food blog... With love,

23.3.11

New Food Blog

Hello everyone. I have been so super busy celebrating my birthday since last Wednesday- different guests at different times- that I haven't actually sat down and blogged in over a week! That is so bad, and I feel terribly guilty but I have some super exciting news to share with you today.
If you are new to Fashion Foreword, then you wont be aware that I am a massive foodie. I love fashion and definitely value it in my life, but slowly and surely my love for food and the culinary industry appears to be taking over. It is actually a massive worry for me that I am turning my back on something that I have loved and prioritized since I was really young, and something that it supposed to be fueling my future career, for food. But either way, I cannot deny that I am developing a genuine obsession for all things baking, steaming, frying and steaming!
In honour of this realisation, I have started up a new blog, which is still connected to this one. I have been posting recipes on here for a while now and I feel my love for this world deserves it's own space so here it is:
I would really love it if you guys would check it out, follow, comment and pass the message on! If food isn't something that interests you then do not worry, I will still be posting on this blog as frequently as I do now, but you will be seeing more of me on my food blog. To the future, with love...

21.3.11

Face Mask Fun!

Hello my lovely readers! So it is actually my birthday today, and I'm turning 19- so old. My boyfriend was unable to stay for my actual day, so over this weekend he was essentially a slave, doing all my cooking and cleaning, getting my chai lattes (omg, so obsessed with vanilla chai lattes, thank you to my dear friend Natalya). Part of this slavery was to be my spa therapist, and I therefore got to try three new face masks.
I am often dubious when it comes to using face masks, due to my inclement skin conditions. I have be tortured by 'mud' masks, and a gazillion face masks have shea butter in, which I am allergic to. So when he presented three masks, I had to do a major scan of their labels. All was well, and now I will tell you about them!
From left to right; Blemish Mud Mask, Anti Stress Peel Off Mask, Green Tea Peel Off Mask
Okay, so I have ordered these in the order I used them (one a day). The Blemish Mud Mask is an absolute joy to use. It has the inevitable muddy feeling texture when applied, which isn't always massively comfortable. However, the smell is wonderful. The mask is enriched with aloe vera and willow, and is supposed to be anti-imperfections. I would say it cleared my skin, but I don't think we left them on for long enough so it may not have had the full effect. 8/10
The Anti Stress peel off mask was very interesting! I have never used a peel off before, and the texture really bewildered me. Although the gel like mask was easy to apply, as it dried it definitely felt very drying. However, my skin was very even in colour and felt smooth when I had the enjoyable task of removing the mask. 6/10
And finally, the Green Tea peel off mask. This was my least favourite, but it wasn't horrendous. The mask is enriched with green tea and ginger, and personally the ginger smell was too much. It reminded me of a ginger and lemon tea my aunt drinks! It took nearly 20 minutes to dry, and was very uncomfortable to remove. 5/10
All of these are 99p from many outlets- Boots, Tesco, Superdrug, Sainsburies...., so they are very affordable.  The brand is Montagne Jeunesse, which I have never heard of, but these masks have been around for years, which is a comforting though. Have you guys used any face masks recently? What are your favourites, and do you have any reccomendations? Love, 

17.3.11

OOTD: Grey Booties

Spice up any casual outfit by adding heels, heeled booties if its raining. Shirt from L.O.G.G at H&M, Jeans from Primark, Boots from New Look, Scarf from New Look, Bag by Calvin Klein.

16.3.11

Recipe: Coley Kedgeree with Boiled Egg

Hello everyone, it's recipe time again. Today I cooked one of my all time favourite dishes, Scottish Kedgeree, but with a twist. I am not really a spice fan, so the Indian version of kedgeree doesn't really appeal to me but the Scottish version, which is usually served as a breakfast, is a really easy and yummy dish to make. The original recipe uses salmon or haddock, but as a poor student salmon is well and truely off the menu. As an alternative, I have used coley, which is a white fish very similar to cod. I also added a few new ingrediants to the mix, so read on if you want to find out more!
You will need:
1 piece of coly
75g rice (any type you like, I used Brown Basmati)
1/2 a leek
1 egg
lemon juice, salt and pepper
parsley
Oil spray
Method:
1)Okay, so first of all you want two pans of boiling water on. One for the egg, one for the rice. Also heat some oil spray in a frying pan. Fish in the oven at 200c for 30 mins
2) Brown half a leek in the frying pan, and then add to the rice water.
3) Measure out 75g (1/2 cup) of rice, and add to two cups of water (with the leeks in). Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 mins

4) Boil the egg for 9 minutes
5) Remove the egg and fish, and smashed up together in a bowel.

6) Add this to the cooked rice, mix. Serve in a bowel with parsley and grated cheese. Oh, and a large glass of white wine! You've got yourself a super yummy and relatively healthy meal. Serve with mixed veggies or salad.

15.3.11

Huge Beauty Haul!


14.3.11

Breton Stripes and Maxi Dress

So the weather in London has been really amazing, positively summery! I'm trying not to talk about it too much or I will jinx it and we will never see the sun again. Anyway, so my aunt came back from Chile on Friday -yay- and her flight was delayed massively so instead of going straight back to Oxford she stayed in my apartment then went home on Saturday. On Saturday we went shopping at Borough market, my favourite place ever right now, then did some more shopping in Angel at Waitrose and Boots (see my beauty haul that I have finally loaded). Due to the summery weather I wore something that made me feel really fashionable and yet appropriate to the sunshine!
Breton Tee by Cos, Maxi Dress by Internacional, Scarf from New Look, Cardigan from Lee Cooper, Ballet Pumps from Topshop. The top images were taken at lunch which was amazing. We went to Olive, which is an Italian cafe behind my building. I had:
Greek Salad £1.99, Salmon and Cream Cheese Bagel £2.20
And I just had to share this with you. Whilst we were waiting for Laura's train home, we went to Tie Rack in Paddington. I love this hat, but I don't know if I'm a hat person. Shall I buy it?

13.3.11

The Beach Body

Hello Everyone! I have finally had my summer holiday sorted out. I am going to Cornwall with Alex and his group of friends in May. With my job, I have the opportunity to have a spa day, which is full of Summer Holiday prep's, a few weeks before I go. However, no amount of spa days is going to tone your body up for the perfect bikini bod!
If you have read me for a while, you will know that I am so lazy, and hardly ever exercise. I used to go to the gym twice a week, but since moving to London I have been way to busy (and poor) to go to the gym. However, after finding out about this holiday, I have decided to firm and tone up my body for when we are at the beach. I have alot of self image issues so I want to feel happy with my body on holiday- it's the last thing you want to be stressing about. 
Despite my lack of time, I find that I have about an hour between showering and going to bed when I can work out. s I can't afford the gym, I work out using available space and resources in my room. To start, I do 50 sit ups-in stints of ten 5 times- then 50 press ups in the same way. I then do 1 minute of step (stepping into and out of my bathroom!), then 1 minute star jumps. This uses a circuits style work out. I repeat this 4-6 times, depending on how much time/energy I have.
It is common for women to work out in the mornings rather than the evenings, however I am most definitely not a morning person! It takes me about half an hour to wake up, then I only have an hour to get ready for school, so my mornings are not the best time for me to be working out. You should build a work out that works for you, and shouldn't fall foul of following work out books, websites or being sucked into paying ANY money for gym fees. There is a free gym everywhere- make use of it! Love,

11.3.11

Double Product Review: All About Pencils


9.3.11

How to Deal With Stress


8.3.11

1 Piece 5 Ways: Grey Long Sleeved Tee

One grey tee, 5 ways. As I go to uni four days a week, and spend my Friday studying at either Holborn or JPS, I have 5 days where I have to look presentable. At the weekend I am so lazy, and sit around the house in pajamas or trackies and hoodie! So this is 5 looks I would enjoy wearing in public- except the second one, that's my at home doing nothing look! I meant to photograph another look (for public viewing!) with tights and a bandage skirt, oversized cardigan and knee high boots, but I didn't have time before class. 
Look 1: Printed Trousers, grey tee, ballet pumps, long knit scarf and formal blazer
Look 2: Trackies, grey tee, glittery patterned scarf, Uggs
Look 3: Jeans, knee high boots, grey tee, matte printed scarf, oversized brown cardigan
Look 4: Chinos, grey tee, brogues and glittery printed scarf
Look 5: jeggings, tall Uggs, grey tee, black woolen snood, oversized boyfriend grey cardigan
I love the fact the one basic piece can be dressed up so differently. I want to try and make this a series and do different pieces a number of ways. Any recommendations/ requests? Loves,