Next's #ProjectTaxi Blogger Event
2 October 2016
Shoreditch, UK
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| Next's Velvet Print Boots were easily my favourite shoe of the night! |
Regarding the displays and accessories, Next is definitively stepping up their game as a high street store, a lot of the items on show reminded me of the type of pieces you would see in Zara; sophisticated but simple and stylish. I'm not big on clothing/accessories that's over the top, or I think an outfit should have just the one staple piece for an every day look, and a lot of the bolder shoes by Next could be that staple. The event was absolutely brilliant and I loved being back in London - thanks Next!
10 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me
30 September 2016
London, UK
Reading lifestyle posts is like a hobby to me. I’m
incredibly nosy, so I love browsing other articles about the blogger or their
life – it helps me to feel like I know the person behind the words and the
photos. There aren’t a whole bunch of ‘tag’ posts on Anika May, but I love
writing them and seeing the reaction of commenters. It’s nice to know if there
are people similar to me or completely different!
#1 I’m obsessed with
everything Marvel.
I was never into comic books as a child. Ever. I didn’t know
who Captain America was until I accidentally downloaded The Winter Soldier in
2015 and fell into the world of Marvel. I was completely oblivious to The
Avengers coming out in 2012 until watching my first Marvel movie. After seeing
ScarJo and Mr Evans dominate the screen, I rented all Marvel films from The
Incredible Hulk to build up my knowledge and understanding of the cinematic
universe. The Winter Soldier literally changed my life. Not only did it
encourage my weird devotion to my husband, Chris Evans, but also got me into a
whole other world of comic books and characters. I haven’t been to a convention
or anything, but I just adore the films. The DC films are also entertaining for
me, but I feel like Marvel has a magic touch when it comes to making movies, I
could watch Avengers, The Winter Soldier and Civil War every day and be happy.
#2 I’m super into
American Football.
I have absolutely no
idea how this happened. Like Marvel, it’s not something I grew up with and
a world I didn’t know existed until I was in it. In 2014, I watched a video of
Tom Brady’s quarterback highlights on YouTube and was incredibly impressed. From
that moment the New England Patriots kind of became my team and I have
supported them ever since. I also really like the Broncos and the Falcons –
it’s a shame not a whole bunch of people in the UK know about the NFL. As a
kid, I had family members who liked Manchester United (I’m sorry) and other
football teams, but no mention of what goes on across the pond. Nowadays I’m
trying to follow every game as the season starts up again. For me, it’s an
entertaining sport that brings out my competitive side; plus the Super Bowl is
a monumental event with amazing performers! Go Pats!
#3 I aspired to be a
fashion designer as a child.
During my younger years, Stardoll was my life. I don’t know
if it’s a site that’s still as popular, but it’s still going. When I fell in
love with dressing dolls up, I decided I wanted to dress people up too. My mum
used to be a fashion designer for brands like Next, Debenhams etc – so I would
always watch her sketch wonderful styles and sew all day and night. Sadly, I
didn’t pick up the sewing gene but I did get a few drawing skills from her. Designing
clothing is still something I do for fun on occasion, and can often find myself
doodling outfits on any spare scrap of paper, but in reality, that hectic
career is not for me.
#4 I used to publish
my own magazine.
Fashion is in my blood, it’s something I will always love,
even if I’m not the next Anna Wintour. Between the ages of 8 and 16, I created my
own magazine (the name is just too
embarrassing to reveal) and would hand it out to my friends at school. I
remember doing everything, from the contents page to my own adverts. Microsoft
Publisher was my very best friend during those stages, and my mum would be
furious after each month passed because I’d print around 20 copies of a 15-page
magazine just to give to my friends. Yup. The magazine was very similar to
Shout or Mizz (throwback or what?) and I really thought it would become a
world-wide phenomenon. Eventually I realised it doesn’t work that way.
#5 I’m terrified of
dogs barking.
When I was around seven, I was in a park with my dad and
younger sister, who would have been about three years old and still in a
pushchair. We were casually walking through a large park in Leeds, and I
spotted three German Shepheard dogs jumping up at a tree and barking at their
owner – who was only controlling the fully-grown dogs with a small stick. I
don’t know what triggered it, but the dogs just came for me and my instinct was
to run (the complete opposite of what you’re supposed to do). The chased me,
while barking and eventually caught up, biting and clawing at me until my dad
reach me and pulled them off me. Since that day, dogs barking always makes me
jump, even if I’m familiar/friendly with the dog!
#6 I got lost in
Buckingham Palace.
Way back when, during the solid years of 2005, I went on a
tour of Buckingham Palace and ended up in a random room full of paintings and a
whole wing away from my mum and sister. We visited the London landmark for fun
and managed to get tickets on a unique tour on some of the more intimate rooms
of the palace. Somehow, Little Miss Daydream here, managed to get lost from the
group, so I tried to find them myself. I specifically remember climbing under
velvet rope and thinking it was a good idea – it wasn’t. The tour guide
eventually found me before any guards did, and tried her very hardest to try
not to strangle me on the spot. I’d entered a restricted area of the palace…
oops.
#7 I don’t have a
middle name.
I feel like middle names are a fact you know about someone
when you really know them (or if you’re
evil and want to use it against them one day). Well, I don’t have one! My full
name is Anika Hunt
and that’s it. My mum and dad didn’t think I needed one and liked the idea of a
first and last name. My siblings don’t have middle names either, that seems to
be the running theme in our little family. It’s not something I’ve ever been
upset about because it’s something I never had! What’s your middle name?
#8 Anika May was not
my first blog.
I guess blogging is something I’ve always wanted to do
without actually knowing. My first blog was called On The Hunt and was this embarrassing domain my dad helped me set
up. It was basically a space for me to complain about anything and everything,
but then Twitter came along and I could do that multiple times a day. My second
blog was called Mannequin Mode and I
actually had it for more than a year. It was through a website called blog.com
(which just vanished one day) and I went all out with blog posts. I tried to
post every day, even creating a Tumblr account, in the hopes of becoming the
next Lauren Conrad and interning for Teen Vogue.
#9 The Sims used to
be everything to me.
I’m hoping I’m not alone here, but I loved The Sims. From
The Sims, to The Sims 2, to The Sims 3 – I loved them all. I still have a box
under my bed full of expansion packs for each series. I haven’t bought The Sims
4, simply because I wouldn’t have enough time to play it and lost interest as I
got older. I still think the game is legendary, you could live basically any
life you wanted: a mermaid, a vampire, a celebrity or a housewife. There were
no limits with the game and I think that’s what made it so fun. Of course, I
played with cheats to speed a few things up, but still loved the whole creating
process, and spending two days building the dream family and house before
getting bored and starting again!
#10 Reality TV is my weakness.
In my life, there’s not a lot of drama. There isn’t really anything going on that’s a cause for concern, and my friends are all pretty chill so we never really argue over much. However, reality TV is a completely different ball game. The obviously scripted and totally fake shows are my favourite: Love & Hip Hop (all versions), The Bachelor/Bachelorette, The Real Housewives, Keeping Up with the Kardashians and so on. They’re total trash TV, scraping the barrel level, but I love it! It’s hilariously entertaining to me, especially the clearly scripted parts. Plus a little window into the lives of other people’s lives satisfies the nosey side of me.
Bolder, Brighter...and Bluer
27 September 2016
Eldwick, UK
Everyone has a colour they always fall back on. The one
colour that is certain to suit your skin tone or gives you that extra boost of
confidence. Everyone has a colour.
My colour usually black, but when I’m trying to encourage myself to let a
little colour into my life, my colour is 100% blue. I try to stay away from
navy blue (because it’s a little too close to black), so bright blue is totally
my comfort colour.
I picked up this dress from TK Maxx in their end-of-summer
sale for only £4 and it’s a piece I’ve had to pluck up the courage to wear. Mainly
because it’s a unique addition to my wardrobe, my style is usually pretty straightforward
and never over-the-top. Although I wouldn’t go as far as saying this dress is
over-the-top, it’s definitely a little different for me.
The first thing I love are the flared sleeves, I haven’t
worn flared sleeves since I was about 8! They’re just so much fun to wear, I
spun around about 30 times before we actually got these photos taken. Patterns
aren’t usually my thing either, I’m a pretty basic person (no word of a lie) so
I dress quite simple when it comes to an everyday look. It was actually the
patter (ft. colour) that drew me to this dress which was sat in a jungle of
sale items and out-of-season styles. Cold shoulder tops are a new love of mine,
after wearing this
yellow top during the summer, I grew more confident in wearing them!
Despite summer being over, I’m still totally loving this discount dress. The colour is certainly my new safe colour, and although it’s bright I feel comfortable rocking it! Black accessories are idea for a dress like this because I didn’t want anything to take away from the pattern or colours. A white bag and shoes would run the risk of clashing with the sleeves and I’d never want that!
Dress // TK Maxx
Shoes // Converse
Bag // Topshop (similar)
What's your go-to/comfort colour?
How I Deal With Negative People
24 September 2016
London, UK
Avoid complainers
From time to time, I find myself complaining when I really
shouldn’t be. Yet, there are people in the world that could be at Disneyland,
on a hot summer’s day, with an endless supply of ice cream, and a fast-track
ticket to every ride in the park and still
find something to complain about. People like that, are people we must avoid. I
don’t mean cut them off like they never existed, but actively choose not to
over-associate with the negative and unthankful vibes.
Empathise
Negative people are often also negative to themselves. I
know this myself, as I used to be a pretty big ‘glass-half-empty’ girl, and
always had a pretty sad mindset. When dealing with negative people, I have
really learned to just try and understand why they’re so down on everything,
rather than become instantly insulted of affected myself. There could be a way
bigger story we just don’t know about, so getting wound up over a comment is
simply pointless.
Choose your battles
As mentioned before, getting wound up over the slightest
thing is nothing but a waste of energy. Of course, it’s important to stick up
for yourself and I am the queen of being petty at the most unimportant times
(just check my Twitter), but I
still try to pick my battles. I certainly don’t argue with keyboard warriors
over the internet – mainly because they’re the worst people online and never
worth my time.
Don’t dwell
There’s no dancing around it, sometimes a comment can stick
with you for life. Sadly, there’s not always a lot to be done. I still have the
negative thought that one person decided to tell me back in 2009 still popping
into my brain every so often and the key thing to do is never dwell on it. At
night, if something negative is on my mind, I distract myself until I forget.
Whether it’s YouTube videos, funny Vines or just Chris Evans in general, I do
what I can to get the idea out of my mind.
Change the subject
It’s not always easy to deal with negative people when they’re
right in front of you. One thing I like to do is just change the subject. For
example, someone could be bringing their downer thoughts all up in my business
and I just completely change the subject… to literally anything. It could be
the weather, GBBO, or even the bus timetable; just something to get away from those destructive feels.
Embody positivity
I believe in people being able to vibe off of each other. When
I come across someone that’s really bubbly and sweet, they brighten my mood;
and that’s why I think it’s important that humans interact with each other in
this way. Not everyone can be a Positive Polly 24/7 but trying hard to keep
that smile up is an easy way to deal with negative people. It could even be
possible the find something not to complain about.
Just ignore it
Easier said than done. But it’s got to be one of the
simplest ways I deal with negative people. Basically just ignore every
down-putting comment they ever say. Water off a duck’s back. Not that it’s an
easy task but remembering to ignore makes it easier to ignore… if that makes
sense.
Promote praise
Believe it or not there are people out there that chose to
be negative because they’re just mean. One thing I noticed at my old
job, is that my boss sometimes struggled to make my life a living hell when I
was so nice to her. She could ask me to do the most mediocre of jobs, but I’d
still compliment her on her dress sense (which consisted of patterns vs
patterns and leather ft. tweed). She still hated me, that’s for sure, but she
never got to me.
W7 Colour Me Buff Eye Colour Palette | Review
21 September 2016
Harewood, UK
I’m crazy about eyeshadows. They’re becoming quite an
important factor in my life and I’m embracing the obsession. The number one
reason I love to collect shadows is because you can always mix it up,
especially with palettes. Eye shadows can be altered to suit any outfit, and
create any style. From the sexy smokey eye to a simple nude lip, I love ‘em
all!
I have a lot of bright colours with eye shadows, but a nude
palette is something I was lacking. I have reviewed both the Maybelline
and Collection
nude eye shadow palette, and finally decided it’s time to try another W7
review. I already have the W7 In
The Nude palette, which I loved, but I have to say I love the Colour Me
Buff palette that little bit more. The texture in Colour Me Buff is different
to In The Nude, as the shadows are a lot more silkier and apply very smoothly,
almost like a cream; whereas In The Nude is dustier.
The first thing I adore about the palette is that the shades
are much more like nudes. Although the shades in the In The Nude palette are a
little more pinky and are much lighter. I do like the shades, but as my skin
tone is quite dark, I’ve found that over time some of them blend together and
just look like the same colour. On the contrary, the Colour Me Buff palette has
the light shades but they have defined colours that show up well on my eyelids.
Sadly, I did initially swatch the shades on my wrist, but they didn’t show up
as well as I’d hoped (mainly because this skin on my forearms is a lot lighter
than my lids and a very different texture).
I managed to pick up the palette for £4.20 and a huge factor
for me is pigment, and luckily the palette delivers. The colours in the palette
are true to their shade and Onyx, which is basically black, actually shows up
black. I’ve used some palettes before that include black and it just shows up
as a dodgy grey. The shadows also stay put for a long time – very important. W7 is an inexpensive brand
so I wasn’t expecting a holy grail level of eye shadows but they definitely
work for everyday use. I’ve found that I don’t need to ‘top-up’ when wearing
them and they stay well for a night out.
I would totally recommend this palette to anyone who’s looking
for a simple set of colours that will work on all skin tones. They stay well,
and this could be because of a creamier texture in contrast to other W7
palettes I’ve tried. The twelve shadows are a lot of fun to play around with
them, and versatile for different looks - perfect for autumn!
Have you tried any W7 Eye Colour Palettes before? What did
you think?
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