World Wide Wardrobe: Paris, Thailand, New York and Ibiza (eek!)

I've been such a busy bee with this blog post. It hasn't been good for my virtual shopping basket or my bank balance, but i've managed to have some self control. The people at Travel Supermarket have held a competition called World Wide Wardrobe. I only found out this week, I wish i'd known sooner so I could have shared sooner but there's still time! I've never been to any of these countries before and there's a huge variety of opportunities so definitely check 'em out. The competition closes 5th June. For more information visit the link, it's really fun to do!

So without further ado, here are my 4 outfits for; sightseeing in Paris, partying at a Full Moon party in Thailand, cocktails in New York and clubbing in Ibiza. 

http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/worldwide-wardrobe/

Why did I pick these items?

Sunglasses £10 @Asos - These are essential. Even the sun can't stand in the way of my view of the Eiffel Tower.

Crop Tee £25 @Topshop - Hot summers in Paris are just calling for crop tops. It will ensure i'm kept cool and stylish- plus, white shows off a tan perfectly (wishful thinking?)

Shorts £32 @Topshop - Keeping my legs cool and adding a bit of colour to my outfit with these crochet shorts.

Moccasins £55 @Aldo - The £200 budget won't stop me splurging on good quality comfy leather shoes which will last through days of walking around Paris. Life savers.

Bag £16 - @Asos - Passports don't hold themselves. A bag is essential to carry around important documents and a bottle of water.

Necklace £15 @Asos - Just because you're on holiday it doesn't mean you have to forget about fashion. Necklaces make every outfit more stylish and 'pulled together.'

Watch £22 @Asos - Whether it's the Eurostar or a flight back home, a watch will enable me to keep track of time. The 'Bonjour' is just a big bonus!

Total = £175

Why did I pick these items?

Aztec Corset £28 @Topshop - It isn't a party without a bit of aztec. I think this corset would look amazing, especially the little pom poms when dancing.

Shorts £30 @Miss Selfridge - Tried and tested. Jean shorts look absolutely amazing on and are super comfy. Perfect for a long night.

Sandals £55 @Topshop - I love these. The metal hardware makes them look super fashionable and I bet they're comfy too as they haven't got the horrible bit between your toes (not very well explained Lucy)

Neon bag £18 @River Island - Another party essential. Neon pink looks amazing at parties and is such a lovely summer colour.

Sun glasses 14 @Topshop - Cat eye shades are everywhere at the moment. They look amazing and are a necessity in Thailand.

Necklace £8.99 @New Look - To go alongside the bag, this necklace would give the finishing touch to this party outfit and really make it stand out from the crowd.

Total = £153.99

Why did I pick these items?

Little black dress £35 @Miss Selfridge - This take on the LBD is absolutely stunning. I think it's super sophisticated and the cut out gives it the edge- after all, you're in New York!

Heeled sandals £65 @River Island - I think these look effortlessly gorgeous. They give a pop of colour to the outfit and make it easy to add some gold jewellery to the outfit.

Clutch bag  £19.90 @Forever 21 - Clutch bags are essential. This clutch matches the shoes and draws the whole outfit together. Plus, where else would you store your iPhone or lipstick?!

Necklace £12 @River Island - I love a good statement necklace, the spikes are just a bonus. I think the necklace makes the outfit look fierce (thats the cheesiest adjective going) and matches the gold hardware throughout the outfit.

Bracelet £8.50 @Topshop - Just like the necklace, the studs on this bracelet gives the outfit the extra edge. Everything's bigger and better in New York... or so i've heard!

Total = £140.40

Why did I pick these items?

Embellished vest top £40 @Topshop - To me, Ibiza screams sparkle. If i'm going to be there for 4 nights i'm gonna dress like a disco ball the whole time, you can't stop me! I've been eyeing this vest up for a while in Topshop- it's lovely.

Jean hot pants £25 @River Island - What better excuse to wear ridiculously short shorts than whilst clubbing in Ibiza, eh! I love these but I definitely couldn't see myself wandering around Essex in them.

Gold boat shoes £30 @Aldo - I think it's hard to find some going-out flats but I imagine these would look amazing under some club lights. Plus, they won't kill your feet like heels will = extra dancing.

Chunky bracelet £8 @River Island - Just to carry on the theme of excess, this is a lovely statement bracelet. 

Spike studs £5 @Miss Selfridge - I know now that these aren't mini suns- but they do look like it, don't they? I thought they were appropriate... being sunny Ibiza and stuff!

Total = £108

A Sunny Haul

I'm not sure how much you can tell from photos, but i'm naturally quite pale. I rarely tan and factor 30 is the lowest I could ever go without baking myself to the crisp. Fed up of coming home burnt or not looking like i've been away, i've made it my mission to go all-out this year with the sun products in a bid to save my skin and embrace a tan.

First to enter my basket was Piz Buin's raved about sun creams. I've read up countless reviews on Piz Buin's products but couldn't justify the near-£20 price tag per bottle. However, sun creams are currently half price in Boots (yay!) so I just couldn't resist. I took home the SPF 30 1 Day Long bottle and the SPF 30 Tan Accelerating oil spray to top up later on if I need it. I'm thinking that I should probably get another bottle of the 1 Day Long as i'm travelling for 2 weeks and I don't want to run out.

Next was the Nivea Sun Protect lip protection. I hate hate hate having dry or burnt lips so this is an absolute must. This is something i've always gone back to, it's by no means a miracle product but it does the job. The SPF 50 Garnier Ambre Solaire is for my boyfriend as he burns even easier than I do. I thought he could use it on the most easily burnt places and smother the factor 30 everywhere else. Simples.

Whilst the next two products are perhaps not essentials, they're pretty damn close. Not only does After Sun feel amazing after a long day in the sun, it also prevents peeling thus making your tan last longer. The Magicool spray feels amazing and will no doubt be well loved in busy Paris or boiling hot Venice. Again, i'm debating getting another bottle, but i'm conscious of not having enough space in my backpack.

I'm planning to do posts all about my trip soon, so if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know.

What sun products do you use? Are you going away this year?

How do you feel about flowery headbands?

From the top; £2.50, £2, £2 - All from Primark.

You can tell me the truth, I won't be offended, how do you feel about flowery headbands? The thought of my hair being slicked back off my face with a headband isn't the most appealing image in my head, but i've come to the realisation that whilst on holiday hair probably won't be my highest priority, and these flowery headbands seem to have made a speedy appearance in my shopping basket.

I can't decide whether they're cool and florence-and-the-machine-esque or whether they'll just look a bit silly in my hair. I bought these in the shop and my mum was adamant that I should wear them round my forehead, that's never going to happen. 

Let me know how you feel about these discussion posts as i'm really keen to do more.

Would you wear these headbands, or are they just an item to look at? How would you style them up?

Instagram Roundup #1

I love Instagram. These posts are right up my street and I really enjoy putting these together. Here are a few photos from the past week or so, if you want to see more feel free to take a look at my Instagram - Lucydoesntcare.

From left to right; Mint choc chip ice-cream is my weakness // Love a good cuppa' and a biscuit // Shameless selfie // When I found out that the Eurostar ran through where I live // The sweetest piano at St Pancras Station London // Knaresborough is beautiful // Me on a boat in Knaresborough // Bridlington beach - Yorkshire // My Interrail pass arrived - 58 days!

Feel free to leave your Instagram username in the comments below- I'll check them all out!

Summer Wishlist # 1

Whether it feels like it or not, summer is on our doorsteps in the UK and what better way to celebrate than lusting after some new summer clothes. Yes please!

1. Skirt - Topshop

2. Sandals - Topshop

3. Sunglasses - Ray-Ban via Asos

4. Dress - River Island

5. Bracelet - River Island

6. Trousers - Topshop

7. Playsuit - River Island

8. Elie Saab - House of Fraser

What item is your favourite?

Bank Holiday Weekend

I love bank holiday weekends. I think they're 3rd on my favourite day(s) of the year, coming closely behind Christmas and my Birthday. Whilst bank holidays are relatively rare, good weather on a bank holiday in the UK is even rarer- but we got lucky!

I spent the bank holiday in Yorkshire with my boyfriend and much to my surprise the sun was shining the whole time. On Saturday we went to Knaresborough which is seriously one of the loveliest towns ever. If you haven't visited and you live in Yorkshire- do! It's so underrated. We've been before but never hired a boat until Saturday. Rowing boats are lined up along the edge and they all have different names- ours was named Mandy. I have countless amounts of photos from this day as we got a bit camera happy (which is probably why I was left with no battery the day after) but i've inserted my favourite few.

On Sunday we went to Bridlington with my boyfriends family. Whilst I whole-heartedly believe down south we have some of the best beaches in the UK, Yorkshire definitely put up a tough fight... not that i'm bias or anything. Unfortunately, I don't have many photos as the camera run out of batteries but I have a few on my Instagram if you want to take a look- (un: lucydoesntcare)

To end the weekend we went and saw The Great Gatsby on monday evening. I don't want to give any spoilers away- but i've read the book a few times- and I thought the film was pretty good! I've yet to find a film that's as good as the book, but this came pretty close, and even my boyfriend liked it- which says a lot!

What did you do this weekend?

Space Girl Review

Despite being on a bit of a spending ban, I went on a post-exams shopping spree last night. I was in one of those happy moods where your bank balance and a nearing holiday doesn't make any difference, and I had the excuse of a review to make me feel better. Rambling over, I went into Lush and bought a few bits and bobs. Instead of doing a haul post, i've decided to individually review a few of the things I bought, and Space Girl (£2.10) was pretty much chucked in my bath tub as soon as I got home.

Space Girl first and foremost smells amazing. It smells so much like my favourite childhood sweet - palma violets which is probably why I gravitated towards it in the shop. Lush have claimed the main ingredient to be Grapefruit oil, but I other ingredients include Almond Oil. This bath bomb contains popping candy and I found it actually took a while to fizzle out completely, which I liked.

As you can see in the photos, the bath water turns a lovely lilac colour. Whilst for the most part I can only sing praises to this product, I did find that the water made my skin feel squeaky clean as opposed to other bath bombs which tend to moisturise the skin. But this is definitely personal preference and I wouldn't let this put you off giving it a smell next time you're in Lush.

Have you tried Space Girl? What's your favourite Lush bath bomb? 

A Trip to Scarborough

After my last adventure post here, and receiving so many lovely comments, i'm back with another one. A lazy saturday and refusal to do the same two days in a row led me and my boyfriend to spontaneously visit Scarborough this weekend. We had tried to visit there before but we bloody broke down, which is a whole other story in itself,  so after crossing our fingers and jumping in the car we drove the 2 hour drive to Scarborough- North Yorkshire.

We climbed to the top of Scarborough where the castle is and my thighs are literally still aching now. The weather held out for us all day which 99% of me loved but the 1% that carried around an umbrella all day hated. We both have a bit of a gambling addiction when it comes to the 2p machines which led to us having McDonalds for tea instead of somewhere a little less...processed. It was such a lovely day and we decided that we're going to push the boundaries a little and venture outside of the UK this summer... yayayayay! I managed to take a few photos which I was rather impressed with, if I do say so myself, even if they did come from an iPhone camera. I hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

What did you get up to the weekend?

Did somebody mention candles?

1. Yankee  2. Next Wooden Lantern 3. Diptyque 

4. Candle Holder 5. Zara Candle  6. LOVE Candle holder

7. Green and Co. Candle

There is nothing better than walking into a lovely smelling room. Maybe i'm exaggerating, but i'm sure most of you will agree that candle scents + dully lit room + laptop = bliss. So here I present to you my candle wish list. 

Yankee candles (1) are my guilty pleasure. Owning more than my fair share I think i'm more than qualified to say that they smell amazing and have a great burning time. Is there any harm in wanting a few more? The Next candle holder (2) is just adorable, I love the look of wood on white too as my bedroom is mostly white. I'm pretty sure that the Diptyque candle (2) speaks for itself, i've yet to lay my hands on one, but when I do... it'll be a great time in my life. I'm pretty sure the world and their mum has the Ikea Candle holder (4) as their make-up brush holder, but i'd quite enjoy it as a candle holder too! Zara home is amazing and their Zara candles (5) are no different. Everything just looks so classy! I'm a huge fan of typography, in every sense of the word, (did you see what i did there? ;] ) so when I saw the LOVE Candle holder (6) it was obviously true love. And last, but my no means least, Green and Co Candles (7) always catch my eye because their lovely and unique packaging, I'd be too afraid to even burn this!

What are your favourite candles? Do you have any you've been meaning to try?

Benefit Interview Process (eughk!)

When I applied for the job I was searching long and hard to see what to expect but barely found anything with the exception of a few blog posts. This was my first (and only) try at dabbling my hand in the world of Makeup Artistry and I though this post may be useful if you're ever thinking about applying for Benefit in the future, or just enjoy a good story- because trust me.. this may not be what you're expecting.

I guess I should start from the very beginning. Whilst on a hunt for a part time job, among many other retail stores, I handed my CV into the Benefit beauty counter in Debenhams. I did not expect to hear anything back, being the Politics/Economics student that I am and having no experience in make-up at all, but surprisingly this was the only one I did hear back from. I was in the gym at the time (back when... I actually went to the gym) halfway through a 30 minuet run on the treadmill when the lady from Benefit phoned me.

Round 1 - The Phone Interivew
So after the immediate panic I switched off the treadmill and answed the phone (before catching my breath properly!) This was about 3 weeks after i'd applied and like i said, i wasn't expecting a call, so this completely threw me off guard. She told me that i'd got through to the phone interview stage then proceeded to ask me 100 questions. (Where I basically kissed Benefits ass.) 'What do you like best about Benefit?' .. 'The high quality make-up and retro packaging.. of course!' 'If a customer said... how would you respond?' If you're worrying about the phone interview, I really wouldn't. It's super easy and as long as you do have a genuine passion for makeup and have dabbled your hand at some Benefit products you'll be fine! After an awkward silence she told me I was through to the next stage, the 'audition.'

Make-up Wish List

For a lot of beauty junkies, these make-up picks are staples in their collection. I don't own too many higher end make-up products, though I definitely want to dabble with some more in the near future. If you've got any recommendations i'd love to hear about them! Here is a little collaboration of products on my wish list at the moment.

1. Bobbi Brown Long Wear Even Finish Foundation

2. Tom Ford Lip Colour in Pink Dusk

3. LANCÔME Hypnôse Mascara

4. YVES SAINT LAURENT Touche Eclat Radiant Touch

5. CLINIQUE Chubby Stick Lip Colour Balm

6. BOBBI BROWN Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner

Have you tried any of these? I'm really interested to hear what you think about them!
P.s, £36 for a Tom Ford lipstick? Never gonna happen!

My weekend at the Lake District

So after being picked up at Harrogate station at 10.30 in the morning, and still feeling half asleep from the 4-hour train journey from London, I assumed stepping into my boyfriends car we'd be heading straight back to his house (and that a long nap would follow!) Little did I know, we were en route to the Lake District for a pre-christmas weekend away. Eek.

I'm terrible with surprises, so when my phone was confiscated (and the bloody passcode changed) my brain went frantic thinking about where the hell we could be going. After a 3 hour car journey which consisted of me asking about 100 questions (are we there yet? are we close?) we finally arrived at literally the most beautiful place i've ever seen. We stayed in the cosiest bed and breakfast known to man kind which was perfectly topped off by complementary coffee and shortbread biscuits. Despite the poor weather, waking up too late for breakfast and broken champagne flutes (oops..) it was easily the loveliest weekend ever. Lots of brownie points for my lovely boyfriend!

I wish I'd have taken more photos, but I did manage to salvage a few. Here are a few photos from our little adventure in the Lake District. (Please do yourself a favour Lucy and invest in a new camera soon...)