My Favourite 'Cheer Me Up' Playlists
28 October 2016
Shipley, UK
10 Big Blogging Struggles
24 October 2016
Harrogate, UK
Being completely honest, there are quite a few aspects of blogging I find difficult. Sometimes the weather isn't on my side, sometimes my face isn't on my side and sometimes I'm just feeling to lazy to function and all I want to do is lay around the house watching Captain America movies. However, there are ten aspects in particular, that can only be describes as a struggle.
Back to School
19 October 2016
West Yorkshire, UK
I never had a rucksack in school. At one point I literally
just carried my ring binders around and hoped for the best – getting on the bus
was a nightmare. I recently bought this backpack from New Look through ASOS and
absolutely love it. They’re so easy to work with! Similarly, these awesome Vans
I picked up from TK Maxx (for only £6) are my new go-to shoe. I love the unique
pattern and I think they brighten up the look without taking all the attention
in the outfit.
For me, one of the most exciting things about autumn, or
fall, is the colours I get to wear. I picked up this thinly knitted jumper from
Matalan and the colour is a must for
autumn. I’m back in my denim jacket from my most-recent OOTD because… well it’s
an awesome jacket. I even wrapped the sleeves from my jumper around the jacket,
for that extra touch of auburn; I really think the two fabrics work well
together.
Jacket - F&F at Tesco // Jumper – Matalan (similar)
// Jeans – ASOS // Shoes
– Vans (similar)
// Bag - New Look (similar)
Stuck in Summer
16 October 2016
High Eldwick, UK
The greatest thing about living in Yorkshire is that every
time I go for a walk, the scenery looks different. I could pass the same
street, and something about it will be different. Usually, it’s the leaves that
are changing (my favourite part of the year) or new flowers in bloom. This
week, I took a stroll down one of the country lanes that runs behind me house,
and the entire pathway was green! It was like being back in summer! I couldn’t
believe how bright and alive the trees and bushes looked, even though the
street running parallel had trees that were almost bare – it's like this one area is stuck in summer.
Warm weather days like today are so easy to dress for. When
it comes to fashion in the autumn, I tend to wear a lot of khaki green and
black, and plenty of leggings. I can wear leggings for any occasion I
absolutely love them. I’ve found that some people absolutely loathe leggings,
where others may wear them as pants with a crop top. I’m somewhere in between. I often chose comfort
when it comes to leaving the house over style, because if I’m not comfortable I’m
not confident. This knitted khaki top from New Look is unbelievably comfortable
– I’m so lucky to have found it. It was one of those pieces hanging all alone
on a rail, and I decided to bring it home with me. Similarly, I bought this
denim jacket from F&F at Tesco last summer and have loved it ever since. It
was the last one available at the time and I thought I’d give Tesco a chance. This
jacket is way thicker than I expected, and actually quite warm; I barely wore
it during the summer because it was too heavy! This makes the coat ideal for
autumn days that are not quite hot and not quite cold.
Converse and rucksacks have been my go to regarding my style
recently, and if you follow me on Snapchat (where I document anything and
everything), you’ll know that I’ve been wearing Converse non-stop for the past
fortnight. They’re a shoe I’ve always known but taken for granted recently,
until I started wearing them again. I think the classic Chucks go perfectly
with jet black leggings and help complete this simple look.
Jacket // F&F
at Tesco
Top // New Look (similar)
Leggings // ASOS
Shoes // Converse
30 Apps I Can't Live Without
13 October 2016
Bingley, UK
I call them the magic
trio.
I use these apps on a regular basis, almost every hour.
Twitter and Instagram are probably my go-to morning apps, just so I can catch
up on the world and lifestyle news. Twitter is where I like to complain about
everything and anything, whereas Instagram is where I cyber-stalk other
bloggers and lust after makeup. Pinterest is the more creative app, helping me
build my boards and store ideas whenever I like. It’s quite dangerous for me
because I can spend an entire day on one board if I am really inspired to find
more images. I even have boards for each room in my dream house. I'm not a keen
Facebook user, although I do have an account, I don't use the app!
OneDrive, Google
Maps, My O2, Microsoft Apps & Calendar
The informative
important ones.
Apps like this tend to keep my life in check. OneDrive is
one of my favourite apps from transferring blog posts and photos between my
iPhone/iPad and computers. Both my desktop and laptop are Windows, so I can
share my files across everything. I use the Microsoft apps like Word, Powerpoint
and Excel for blogging and work, so being able to sync documents between
devices and work on the go is so helpful! Google Maps is ideal for a good SatNav
on a tricky drive. My O2 is a recent app I bought so I could keep track of how
much data I have left (even though I never seem to run out) and my bill each
month. The iPhone calendar is basically my life backup - with the reminders,
Travel Time feature and inbox, I never forget a thing!
Amazon, ASOS &
Next
For my shopaholic
side.
I love to shop online, and for me it's a lot easier to do
when I don't have to do much. Amazon is a favourite for this because all I need
is a fingerprint to buy whatever I can find (and there's so much to find on
there). ASOS and Next are the stores I shop at the most, and are the stores I
think have the strongest mobile apps. I love that you can save items on ASOS'
app and they'll be there until you decide to buy them. The one thing I adore
about Next's app is that the browsing is just so easy! It's quick and
responsive, and you can even turn your device sideways to flick through a
catalogue.
MyFitnessPal & Runkeeper
They keep me in
health.
MyFitnessPal is like a personal trainer for me. One of the
biggest struggles regarding diet for me is snacking - I love sweet treats and
will nibble away without remorse. With MyFitnessPal, I have to log everything I
eat, and feel much worse about including chocolate fudge cake to the list,
which usually knocks my calories allowance into the red zone. MyFitnessPal can
be linked with other Under Amour apps too. Runkeeper has been a favourite of
mine for as long as I can remember, because it was basically the first app of
its kind. I don't run every day, but you can switch the setting to 'walk' which
is just as good. The app sends me emails and notifications every so often to
keep me motivated too. Despite having different developers, Runkeeper and
MyFitnessPal can be linked and they will share the same data.
My source of
inspiration.
I recently downloaded We Heart It after a blogger
recommended it to me and love the inspiration it provides! The images on there
are great to use for backgrounds and wallpapers - perfect! Motivation is an app
I recently tweeted about and installed after falling into a blogging rut. The
app provides one motivation quote a day, but also has the setting to notify you
with different quotes throughout the day, which I think is genius! Tumblr is an
obvious source of inspiration because it's a never ending feed of magic. Not
only does it motivate me to step up my Instagram game, but also blog more and
more!
The perfect way to
find new music.
Discovering new music is one of my favourite things to do. I
have a really broad taste in music, and will listen to any track with a good
beat, impressive use of instruments and amazing voice. Spotify is used for easy
access to albums without having to buy them all. I love to wake up to the radio
so iPlayer's alarm setting is the perfect tool for me. With Soundcloud, it's
really easy to discover new artists and slowly build your own playlist for each
occasion. There are quite a lot of covers on Soundcloud, which are nice to hear
because you can see how truly talented some people are.
Pigment, BuzzFeed, YouTube
& Netflix (obviously)!
The key to making bus
journeys that little bit shorter.
Pigment came into my life after buying a colour book and
getting a hand cramp from scribbling for so long. I discovered the app and an
advertisement and decided to give it a go - it's so cool and so easy to use!
BuzzFeed is one of the best sites to get lost in, it's a little bit like Tumblr
but makes me laugh a lot more. From quizzes to showbiz news, BuzzFeed has it
all. I'm always tweeting about wasting my time on YouTube and I think life will
always be this way - there's so much on there! I have too many subscriptions to
count, so each morning I wake up to a whole new list of videos to watch. I talk
about Nextflix on this blog more than I talk about fashion - it's like a
lifestyle for me. Netflix has recently stepped up their game and started adding
a wider variety of shows and films to indulge in, making those miserable bus
journeys a little lighter.
Monopoly, Crazy Taxi,
Tiny Wings & The Simpsons: Tapped Out
The ultimate
boredom-fixers.
It's not often I get time to be bored, but when I am, I have
a tiny folder on my phone to store some pretty awesome games. Monopoly and
Crazy Taxi are two old school games I was obsessed with as a child and still
find entertaining now. Tiny Wings was introduced to me by Jenna Marbles and
took over my life Candy Crush style - all I wanted to do was play! Likewise,
Tapped Out is a story progression game that never ends. The one thing I really
like is that it's always updating and bringing something new, the game changes
for each season and has themes throughout - you can never finish it because
there's so much to collect! All of these games are time-consuming which is what
I look for as I'm a flake and tend to give up easy.
VSCO, Snapchat and Layout
For making photos more
fun.
As mentioned, I really want to step up my Instagram game
because it's like a first impression to my blog (go ahead and follow me if you
like *wink wink*). VSCO is number one in my eyes, the filters are so much fun
to play around with - HB2 is certainly a favourite. Snapchat is an app that
took some getting used to, but I absolutely adore the filters that make you
look 10 times prettier or 30 times uglier. It's definitely a great tool for
documenting my day, and creating memories. I don't user Layout that often but
it's handy for when I need it. I used to use Diptic for collages but I've found
Layout is a little easier and quicker.
What are your favourite apps? What can't you live without?
Girls' Night Out
11 October 2016
Leeds, UK
I love a good night out. Living so close to a city like
Leeds means the best bars are only a train ride away and I can spend all night
sipping cocktails that taste like bacon at Angelica Leeds, or stuffing my face
until 4am at Revolution on Call Lane. It’s safe to say, being on a night out
with friends is a lot of fun, but there’s something about girl bonding that’s
just the very best. Getting dressed up together, while listening to the cheesiest
music (obviously) and falling into hysterics over nothing. A night out just for
the girls is perfect, and I always want to look my best.
When it comes to a night out, I like to keep it classically
casual. One thing I always think is: “would I wear a leather jacket with this?”
If the answer is yes, the dress is a go. This awesome cold shoulder dress from
Boutique of Molly is an easy fave because the colour and design is perfectly
stylish but not over the top. Everyone wants to stand out a little bit, but I’m
not good with too much attention on me so looking cute is about as far as I’ll
go (or try). I’ve been loving the cold shoulder style all summer, and it was an
enormous trend from the beginning of April. So far, I’ve only worn this look in
tops, but I’m certainly on board with a straight dress design. Sadly, this
dress went out of stock a few days after I bought it – I know… devastating.
Amazingly, I already owned shoes that faultlessly matched
the tone of the dress (Next coming through for me once again)! I actually own
these wrap wedges in two colours, because I love them so much. The best feature
is definitely the comfort, I almost feel like I’m wearing flats when I have
them one because they’re so cushioned and the suede is incredibly soft – the perfect
night out shoe. I’m 100% not
one of those girls who’s being carried into a taxi with one shoe on her hand
and one half way down the street, so a pair that’s long-lasting and comfortable
are totally my go-to.
PS: there are plenty of goodies over on Boutique of Molly's site, go ahead and use discount code' ANIKAM20' to receive 20% off your order!
Bag // New Look (similar)
Shoes // Next (similar)
Sunglasses // ASOS
Watch // Blake
LDN
New In: Happiness Boutique Jewellery
7 October 2016
Ripon, UK
I recently received the Luminous
Feather Ear Crawler Asymmetrical Earrings*
and the Angelic
Feather Crystal Ear Crawlers* from
Happiness Boutique and just had to share my opinion of the earrings on my blog.
I have a love for earrings because they’re an effortless piece of jewellery. They’re
easy and light to wear, and half the time I forget I’m even wearing them. I
only have two piercings in my earlobes, so I don’t always get to be
experimental with earrings, but I have found that there are earrings out there,
like crawlers and cuffs, that can really spice up a look.
Happiness
Boutique believes in being happy and spreading happiness every day. They
want their store to be a place where people would not only look good but also
feel good, which I really like as I also believe confidence is key. When I got
the opportunity to browse their store, I was so excited because some of the
pieces are perfect for the upcoming season. A lot of the earrings in particular
have a charming vintage touch. The company offers free shipping (always a
bonus) and a customer
reward programme, and a bi-monthly giveaway to win the
occasional statement goodies. Now that you know about the company, let’s talk
earrings.
The Luminous Feather Ear Crawler Asymmetrical Earrings drew
my attention due to the rose gold colour. I have always been more attached to
rose gold jewellery, not only because it looks super chic with any outfit, but
also because the tone is something different to the regular silver and gold. I
have no idea why, but feather have also become a recent obsession of mine,
especially for the autumn-time, so I can’t wait to wait these asymmetrical
earrings with my new wardrobe. One thing I love, is that the earrings aren’t
identical, which is exactly what makes them unique. The bling bling makes them
dramatic, but not too over the top.
Similarly, the Angelic Feather Crystal Ear Crawlers are
light and elegant, but still hold that bedazzle value. I have long dark hair so
I like to have a little shimmer in my ears; the angel-like feather pair are
perfect. I tend to stick with silver, white gold and rose gold for jewellery
because I feel like it brightens an outfit a lot more than the simple gold. I
love the shape of these earrings because they’re unlike anything I’ve worn
before and could enhance my already-dull office outfits, or become the perfect
accessory to a night out ensemble. I’ve noticed that both earrings are sturdy
but light – an essential.
If I had to pick a favourite, I think it would be the
Luminous Feather Crawlers, simply because I’m a huge sucker for anything that’s
rose gold or copper, and I love that the pieces aren’t identical. I would
totally recommend Happiness Boutique as the quality of the products are worth
the price and I loved the customer service/ordering process!
Psssssst! You can receive 10% off your order by using my discount code, "anikamay" at the checkout!
Irresistible Me Remy Clip-In Hair Extensions | Review
4 October 2016
Sheffield, UK
Since wearing full and part weaves, I have always worn remy hair. When I was around fourteen years old, I had my very first weave and I was excited; I would literally parade around school and tell people “my hair is basically going look like Beyoncé’s” because I was under the impression everyone’s weaves look as A-star as hers. Obviously, I didn’t rock up to school with £3,000 extensions, but I did fall in love with them. For a long while, I’ve tried multiple stores for extensions, and often switch between sewn-in and clip-in. Sometimes I even switch the two, just so I had add extra layers if needed. I recently received some remy extensions from Irresistible Me and couldn’t wait to try them out.
I can be quite sceptical of extensions as I’ve had some sent to me before, and didn’t even bother to review them because they were so bad. I’ve also ordered extensions myself in bundles online, and they ended up being really thin, lighter than the colour I always order (1B), or wavy when I prefer to have my hair straight. Little things like this really put me off online stores, and one bad experience can ruin it all for me. Last year I ordered a closure from Ali Express that was lighter than the site suggested, I still wore the lace closure with my extensions, and after I took it out and washed it thoroughly, it got so matted up, I couldn’t even get a comb into it.
Irresistible Me is a New York-based brand that specialises in 100% natural Remy clip-in hair extensions, hair accessories and hair tools. After receiving their clip-in extensions, I decided to try them with my own extensions to see if I could make them a little thicker and give my hair more body for an event. I already have a full weave, with a lace closer and bundles of hair that’s a mix of 16” and 18”. The great thing about the ordering process is being able to select exactly what you want, which I was impressed with. You can chose the thickness, colour, length & weight before completing your purchase.
I got the Silky Touch Natural Black extensions (1B)* and decided to clip them in during the day, and see how well they would attach to my hair as I partied the night away. Delivery-wise, they took a while to get to me, but I wasn’t in any rush to receive them. The hair is very silky, and the shine isn’t oily, nor is the texture too oily. Sometimes with extensions, you find the occasional wire within the hair, or a strand that’s bright blonde which looks very out of place, however all of the hair is 1B – luckily. I found the clips easy to attach to my own hair in between the tracks of my sew-in extensions and they felt very secure throughout the evening. One thing I loved is how ‘flowy’ the hair was, it felt real and not like the Barbie doll hair you can buy online. Check out the before and after above!
The clip-ins fit well with my extensions and matched the colour I already have, plus they are lightweight and only really feel heavy once they’re wet. One of the things I really loved, is that I could wear them with a weave, and they added to the body, not the weight. I did notice the extensions lost a little bit of shine after a wash, but they didn’t matte up or become coarse which is a huge bonus. The only downside to the extensions, is that after a while, they do start to wear. This is something I've found to be quite common with certain remy brands, and few YouTubers have also revealed that the hair can shed over a long period of time or can even become overly tangled. Despite this, I definitely think they're worth a try and work for me as I only wear clip-ins on a temporary basis.
Have you ever tried a product from Irresistible Me? What did you think?
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