VIDEO: Chatty Catchup Time

It has been many months since I sat down in front of a camera and had a proper chat, and in that time a lot has changed! Today's video is just a catchup on the many, many things that are now different - I hope you enjoy :)

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Wardrobe Shopping Survival Guide

Trying to save some money? I know I am... With a year of being a student again staring me in the face, the need to spend sensibly is more apparent than ever.

You may thinking, Shopping Survival Guide?? If you're after constructive advice on how to avoid being eaten by your shopping basket or how to swerve falling makeup counters (I'd never had to imagine a shopping apocalypse until now) you will have to head elsewhere I am afraid... though it is an idea I may come back to...

But for questions that you should be bearing in mind when shopping with a budget, you may want to look this way.

1. How will this wash? Sometimes buying cheap basics is a false economy... You wash them once and they're good for nothing but a life as pyjamas; sometimes you're not actually saving anything at all. For me, it's meant that I've bid farewell to buying from Topshop and Forever 21, unless pieces are massively reduced in the sale.
2. Pale colours = high maintenance. I learnt this one the hard way last week; I bought a beautiful dove grey jacket from H&M and stained it on its first wear. Be careful; this one will lead you back to point 1...
3. Is this a staple or a statement piece? I tend to reserve my statement pieces for special occasions; a bold, unique piece will definitely be worn less, whereas staples should combine with one another and form the backbone of your wardrobe; less exciting, but a lot more useful.
4. Get savvy with separates. A few years ago, my wardrobe was full of garments that worked for one outfit but couldn't be combined across the board. I've since learnt my lesson and am a separates convert. I've never been so happy with the state of my wardrobe.
5. Read your labels. Dry clean only is my worst enemy.
6. Don't spend on a trend. A no-brainer here but a mistake lots of people seem to make; ripped jeans may be cool now, but they're not worth splashing out on if you're bothered about falling out of style. Especially important if you're keen on being first to try a trend: you may end up hating the look after a while.
7. What's already in your wardrobe? Will this combine well? Or are you making a mistake that I have committed many a time - am I buying a carbon copy of something I already own?

These are genuinely the questions I ask myself when buying and I find it super helpful to take a moment, in my changing room, and imagine myself walking out with what I have in my hands or with nothing and deciding which I am going to do today.

Have you got some wardrobe buying thoughts that you feel like sharing? I am all about hearing more!

So you've heard about the T Zone... but what about the U Zone?

So I'm pretty sure we're all familiar with the concept of the T zone. That oily bit in the middle of ya face. It ent exactly the new skincare fad on the block... But has anyone else heard about, and more importantly, been pampering their U zone?

 Hold on, hold on, I'm not making this up I swear... It's essentially the parts of your face that aren't your T zone: your cheeks, lower jaw and neck. Whereas your T zone tends to be oilier, your U zone is meant to be almost the opposite - generally needing a boost of moisture. It's a concept that was brought to my attention by the Lush Times, many, many moons ago.

According to Lush, Asian women (up there with French women in terms of being skincare legends to the anglophone consumer) have been aware of this since time began, seemingly, and apply two face masks to treat these areas with the correct product. This idea has always stuck with me, and I am now in the habit of tailoring my face masks to my skin's dryness, rather than going in with my old "slap it on, it's skincare after all" approach.

And the result is a super cool look like the one featured in the photo above. You are welcome.

While we're on the subject of face masks... Stay tuned for a new feature on my blog, kicking off with the face masks I have been testing out lately. Watch this space...