The Wanderer Returns...

First things first...I feel I should apologise for my little six week hiatus. I'd very much like to pretend that it's been an exciting few weeks of adventure and travelling, but I am not a very talented liar. Basically, I was ill for a little while and then had a mountain of freelance work that I needed to catch up on, which ultimately meant that I spent a fair amount of time lounging around my house in a pair of oh so flattering Topman PJs (yes...I'm aware that it is the male counterpart of Topshop). I wasn't so sure if anybody would want to read a post entitled "How To Dress Like A Male Slob", so my personal blog sadly took a bit of a backseat, but anyway...I have returned; healthy, triumphant and back in women's clothes. 

(Dress - ASOS,Shoes - Missguided, Bag - Primark, Cuff - New Look, Necklace - Vintage)

I wore this outfit a few weekends ago for a night out in Cardiff with friends, it's a little lower and clingier than I normally go for sans gym-body, but a girl needs to feel feminine after spending so much time in Topman PJs! You'll have to forgive the photos, I was about to miss my train and my father isn't much of a photographer so the lighting is simply horrendous. Oh, and you can also see that my dip-dye is no more! I've gone back to my roots ready for winter, it's a little darker than I initially planned and left me feeling a little washed out, however I found the perfect solution for this: the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Ibiza. I first bought some Charlotte Tilbury cosmetics on a whim when I was last in London, I fell in love with an eye palette of hers, then when I saw Millie Mackintosh post a photo using the Ibiza beach stick, I was on the Selfridges website just as quickly as I would have been on a trip to the white isle itself. The consistency is lovely and creamy; it doubles up as a lipstick as well as being flattering on the cheeks and giving a killer glow. Whilst it is a little pricey, a little goes a long way so it is a worthy investment. I'm also thinking of doing a full post about the make-up products I use and my favourite products if any of you would be interested. 

Also, seems as I've been away for a little while, I haven't had a chance to share my other blog with you. I've recently started working with a local vintage store; I've created a blog for them and will be posting weekly articles about vintage dressing and inspiration if any of you fancy taking a look and following the blog then it would be greatly appreciated. You can find it here.

Thanks for reading!

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xx

Snow White.

I'm not going to lie, the thing that stood out most to me when I looked at these photos was my deathly pale skin. I worked until 5.30 this evening, and then had to get ready in about 40 minutes to head to a gig....hence my lack of fake bake. I probably should have pretended that my paleness was intentional, shouldn't I? Oh well - you live and you learn. I went to see Kids In Glass Houses tonight, for possibly the millionth time. Incase you haven't heard of them, they're a Welsh band who are currently preparing for what will be their final tour; this is a depressing thought - not just because they're a talented band, but also because it makes me feel incredibly old....I've been going to their gigs since I was around 15 years old - it's like the end of an era! In terms of the venue, it was a relatively small and intimate gig, but once they started playing, you could have easily forgot that; their stage presence and energy is simply phenomenal, they have a profound ability to liven up even the most neglected of bars. I'll probably post a couple of photos on my Instagram account, I took them on my phone so the quality isn't sharp enough for my blog, sadly.  A quick tip: if you haven't heard Kids In Glass Houses before, give them a quick search on YouTube. "Drive" is my song of choice.

 

Kimono - River Island, T-Shirt - River Island, Skirt - ASOS, Boots - Kurt Geiger, Bag - Urban Outfitters, Necklaces - River Island, Cuff - New Look

I wasn't really too sure what to wear, it was an indoor gig so I went for something relatively cool. I  think the whole outfit would have worked a little better with a different choice of shoe, but I knew the entire place was going to be crammed, and I didn't want my poor little tootsies to get crushed. So, instead of focusing on my rather boring and mismatched outfit, I'm going to bang on about my hair for a little while. I've had a couple of private messages asking me what I do to style it, and the answer is frustratingly simple....I hardly do anything to it. My hair has a natural kink to it, which used to be the bane of my life. Nowadays I embrace it. I normally wash my hair, and then put it in a very loose and messy bun on top of my head until it's 80% dry, then I blast my hairdryer over it and rough straighten my "curtains". I then tip my head upside down and spray a little Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray through the ends and scrunch it in before combing through it all roughly. Voilà! That's basically it; my answer to scruffy, grunge hair! Oh, and another question I've had lately - "Do you wear extensions?" No, my hair is naturally this length. I'm always more than happy to answer questions about my style and/or beauty routine, so do feel free to tweet/comment/instagram/send smoke signals if you want to know anything more. Actually, maybe not smoke signals....I'm not sure if I'm fluent enough in smoke yet.

Thanks for reading!

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xx

Liebster Award

I was nominated for the Liebster award by Sophie from As Seen On Sophie. I'm relatively new to the blogging world so it was lovely to be nominated for something. The Liebster award is basically a way for new bloggers to connect with other bloggers, and it's also a good way to get your blog out there by answering questions about yourself. The rules are as follows:

You must answer all 11 questions given to you by the person who nominated you.

You must link back to the person that nominated you.

After completing these questions you must nominate 11 bloggers (with under 200 followers) and give them 11 questions of your choice.

You can not nominate the person who nominated you.

Okay, here we go. These were the questions I was given...

.1. What has been your favourite moment this year?

Hmm, I assume this means within 2014, but I'm going to take it as "the past twelve months" ha - just so I can use my favourite memory of finally getting to see Kings of Leon in the most incredible atmosphere of V Festival. I've been to so many gigs, but seeing a band you love in a festival setting is such an experience. If I was to answer the question properly though, my highlight of 2014 so far is probably visiting Liverpool. I booked it on a bit of a whim for Easter weekend, but I had such an incredible time in the Cavern Club - pretending I was living it up in the 60s, ha.

V Festival 2013

2. What are you looking forward to most this summer?

I'll be honest, this summer pales in comparison to last summer where I swanned off to Ibiza, lived it up in V Festival and had several weekends away, ha. But I can't complain too much, I'm hoping to book a mini-break to Newquay for August Bank Holiday weekend, and I've got a couple of small gigs lined up such as Kids In Glass Houses, Taking Back Sunday and Reel Big Fish. Plus, I'm hoping to go to Iceland in November to see the Northern Lights and make up for my lack of summer holiday this year.

3. What got you in to blogging?

People had been telling me to blog for ages, and it was always something I was interested in but kept pushing to the bottom of my to do list. Then one day, I was moaning about the lack of fashion writing opportunities in my hometown, and I just thought that I should make my own platform rather than way for somebody to allow me share theirs. 

4. Sweet or savoury?

Sweet, 100%. My goal of having a body akin to that of  a Victoria's Secret model drifts further and further away every single day.

5. Cats or Dogs?

Dogs. I have two - a malamute and a springer spaniel. Currently waiting for somebody to buy me a Saint Bernard.

Me and my dogs...trying not to be cruel and refer to my sister as a dog too, ha. Not the most fashionable of photos, but sometimes (just sometimes) warmth comes first...mainly just in times when you're not expecting a camera in your face.

6.If you could be anyone for the day, who would you be?

Valentina Muntoni....without a shadow of a doubt. 

Valentina Muntoni: The definition of "utter babe"

7. If you had to choose which one would it be, fashion or make-up?

This is so hard, ha. I'm going to go with fashion....I could probably hide my scary make-up free face behind a gigantic pair of Chanel sunglasses that way. 

8. What's your favourite TV show?

Friends, even though it ended over a decade ago, ha. Rachel and Ross stole my heart! I am partial to a bit of Made in Chelsea though, it's my guilty pleasure. 

9. What's the worst experience you've gone through that you have learnt from?

I don't really want to bring too much negativity to my blog by answering this question, so I'm just going to answer with something I've struggled with recently rather than my worst experience (I know - what a cop out!) I found life after university a lot harder than I thought it would be; I assumed that I'd have landed my dream job by now and be well on my way to paying off my rather huge student loans. But I just don't think that's realistic for anyone thesedays. In my last year of university, I realised that a degree isn't worth as much as it used to be; employers want real experience nowadays. So I've spent the last couple of  years trying my best to balance university work, a job whilst also trying to freelance as often as I could, at one point I was trying to finish my dissertation whilst working unpaid for Closer Magazine in London (4 hours away from my university campus and home), because I just really wanted to get myself as much experience as I could. Luckily, I've graduated now so the intensity has lifted somewhat, but even now I still write between 8-12 articles a week whilst working 37.5 hours a week and trying to blog as often as I can - so forgive me if my posts are sometimes few and far between, ha.

10. Who is your favourite blogger and why?

Lydia from Fashion Influx. I've followed her for years, and I like how she's stayed true to her style. She also finds the best bargains.....which makes you forgive her for her seriously enviable figure!

11. What do you love about blogging? 

As much as it sounds like a cliche, blogging allows me to bring my two greatest passions together - writing and fashion. When I started my blog, I was always a little concerned that people would assume it was a bit narcissistic in that "look at me and how awesome I think my fashion sense is", but I think personal style blogs are such an interesting platform for creativity, I love how people showcase their outfits - even if it's in a style that I personally wouldn't wear. I just really do believe that fashion is a form of self- expression in the same way that music is; fashion is a culture that we all immerse ourselves in every single day.

Here are my nominations:

www.gracesbeautyspace.blogspot.co.uk

www.farhfromordinary.com/blog/

www.vogueandvigour.blogspot.co.uk/

www.anikamiller.blogspot.co.uk/

www.yourdailydoseofstyle.blogspot.co.uk/

www.sophiedeedoesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk/

www.themodelcachet.blogspot.co.uk/

www.freyablendell.blogspot.co.uk/

www.simplesassysultry.blogspot.com

www.rockmyboots.blogspot.com.es/

www.hellolupi.blogspot.co.uk/

And, here are your questions for you:

1. What has been your highlight of the past 12 months?
2. What are your top 3 summer fashion essentials?

3. How did you get in to blogging?

4.  If you were on a desert island, what would your 3 beauty essentials be?

5. What is your key festival outfit?

6.If you could visit anywhere in the world right now, where would it be and why?

7. If you had to choose which one would it be, fashion or make-up?

8. What's your guilty pleasure?

9. What is your dream career?

10. Who is your favourite blogger and why?

11. What do you love most about blogging? 

Thanks for reading!

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xx

Grungin' It Up In Gingham.

This is probably the first photo of me wearing a pink ensemble since I was about 7 years old, so drink it up. I think I have had a bit of an unfair aversion to pink clothing for the last few years, choosing to associate it with Barbie-esque hair extensions and a heavy spray tan; but when I saw this dress on Motel, I fell a little bit in love with it. I've made no secret of the fact that I like my outfits to have an element of grunge to them, and not look too "overdone", so with this in mind I was a little worried about how I could make pink work for me - but I do love a challenge. As always, I layered my favourite necklaces over it which are from ASOS and Empty Casket. This had the desired effect of taking me away from that dreaded Barbie route. I was originally going to team it with my JC Lita's, but it was so warm yesterday that I opted for my new La Moda sliders. This whole outfit was for a mini music festival that my local pub hosts every year, so the loose fit of this slip dress was a real winner when I spied the giant BBQ. Aside from the occasional "why are you wearing PJs?" comments, I was happy with how this outfit worked out and surprisingly didn't feel out of my comfort zone by not wearing my atypical outfit of 95% black.

(Dress - Motel Rocks, Shoes - La Moda, Choker - ASOS, Necklace - Empty Casket, Bag - H&M, bangle - Topshop, Rings - Primark)

As for my make-up, I kept it fairly simple but I opted for a purple toned lipstick for a more 90s feel, rather than my signature red lip, and my hair - as always- pretty much did its own thing. I let it dry naturally in the sun and then scrunched some Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray into the ends before flicking my straighteners over my fringe/curtains. Also, I apologise for the rather boring setting of my photos, I was running late as always. 

Another thing - if any of you choose to buy anything from Motel Rocks, you can get 20% discount off your orders with the code "RHIANSD24"

Thanks for reading, please follow the links below for more from me.

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xx