The British Tag

I haven't done a tag in a very very long time. So when the lovely Karishma from Beneath the Brush tagged me to do The British Tag I couldn't turn it down being the patriot I am. 

Pictures taken on a recent trip to London

How many cups of tea do you drink a day and how many sugars?

I'm not your typical British person when it comes to tea and I rarely drink it, maybe once a week at the very most. When I do though, milk and two sugars please.

Favourite part of your roast?

I was having this discussion just yesterday at work. I can't choose between the meat (especially if it's beef), roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. All very yummy indeed.

Favourite dunking biscuit?

Definitely something with chocolate. McVities or Fox's though!

Favourite quintessentially British pass time?

Going to the seaside! I love walking along the pier with an ice cream (even when there's a bit of rain). 

Favourite word?

I think using words like 'mint' and 'sound' to say something is good. "I'm sound me" - The Northerner in me is all coming out now 'ain't it'?

Cockney rhyming slang?
Barney Rubble - Double Trouble. It's used in a song by The Twang that I love to.

Favourite sweets?
Love Hearts or Flying Saucers. Mmm.

What would your pub be called?
I'd probably name it after some music reference. Like The Songbird or something. Bonus points if you know that's an Oasis song too.

No.1 British person?
Oh wow, this could take me a while. I've got three that I just can't choose between. Kate Moss, total queen. Amy Winehouse, incredible music talent (today actually marks the three year anniversary of her death, RIP angel) and Alexa Chung, style guru. All of them are influences to me.

Favourite shop/restaurant?
Topshop, who else? I decided to go with a British chain of restaurants for this one and it's Toby Carvery. Typically British but sooooo good!

What British song pops into your head?
Oasis - Live Forever. We do guitar bands best in Britain. The Beatles aside, Oasis are up there.

Marmite?
Simply no!

So that was my take on The British Tag. As you can tell I love music, food and British IT girls.
I tag anyone who wants a go!

Wedding Season On A Budget

Everyone you know on your social networking friends list always seem to decide to set their wedding date for the Summer don't they? The bank balance panics as you're about to spend a hefty amount on an outfit that more than likely you will just wear for the big event. My latest find is a stunning dress you can wear again and again for just £5. Yes, five Great British Pounds.

It's easily styled with a plain kimono because let's be honest Summer weddings in the UK have a rain shower along the way somewhere. Or just for the comfort after a lot of wine influenced dancing into the early hours.

We're keeping this outfit on a budget so it's worth a trip to Primark for their statement necklaces. They have loads and loads of great pieces at the moment and all under £10 I've noticed.

Sticking with the mint green accessory theme just because it's been my favourite colour lately. Plus, it suits really well with the nude pink dress.

Another Primark find for the footwear option. Your feet will no doubt hurt at 1am and those 5 inch heels will come off. Gold embellishment takes them from a day to night outfit though. 

I found this on a sale rail quite a while back now in Peacocks of all places. It's fairly spacious too because we are females and we will over pack, it's in our nature I'm sure. 

You might be still wondering where is this gorgeous yet simple dress available from for just five pounds?

You can buy it HERE from justfor5pounds.com.

Kimono - BooHoo

Necklace - Primark

Sandals - Primark

Bag - Peacocks (similar HERE)

Dress - justfor£5*

Festivals: Essentials You Need To Pack

Festival season is my favourite without a doubt. A weekend in the sun (probably rain actually) with your closest friends, decent music and good beer. This year so far I've been to three outdoor gigs. Which is basically like a festival except you get to go back to a comfy bed after it. Last year though I popped down the road to V festival and I certainly did over pack. I'm talking everything out of the beauty draw, half of Tesco's and even chucked in the kitchen sink for good measure. I guarantee half of what you take you will not use and when you have to walk at least an hour through mud with heavy luggage you will regret that extra bottle of dry shampoo, just in case. After much experience now I'm giving the low down on the bare essentials you will need for your hair, face, body and those extras you will end up needing. 

Hair is always the biggest worry. Embrace it though. I'd recommend leaving to wash your hair as long as you can, just before you leave for the weekend. On your first morning at a festival I'd avoid using dry shampoo straight away and just brush through and add L'Oreal Matt & Messy for a tousled finish (add a pretty headband if you need to). You can go wild the next morning though. My favourite choice of dry shampoo is the VO5 Plump It Up. When your locks are looking a little limp it gives it that boost you're after. On your last day take a long some printed clips to pin it back.

If we're being honest here you probably won't get a lot of sleep with the hard floor you'll be sleeping on and the late comers shouting at 4am. That means dark circles, yay. Seventeen's Phwoarr Paint tackles all my problems in the under eye area though. You can pop in Bourjois' 123 Perfect Colour Correcting Cream to your cosmetics bag and not worry about any uneven skin tone or dark areas.If like me you hide behind sunglasses (even in pouring down rain) then you're going to want a strong looking brow. ELF's Studio Eyebrow Treat & Tame is perfecting for keeping hairs in place but adding definition too. You are out in the fresh air for at least three days, you are going to want an effective lip balm like Carmex Lip Pot in Original. A bright lip will draw attention away from all the under eye problems you might have going on. I love coral shades, especially Rimmel - Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in 16. 

A basic skincare routine is all you will want I promise. Garnier's Micellar Cleansing Water removes any make up or dirtiness really easily. To save on space I'm super impressed with all these compressed deodorants that are popping up. My favourite is Dove's Go Fresh in Pomegranate, it smells real goooood. You will need to keep everything at fresh as possible so mouth wash is ideal. You can't really go wrong with an old favourite in Listerine's Stay White Mini Mouthwash. 

All those extras you might not think of are packed in my luggage too! You will get dirt somewhere on you and will have no idea where it's come from so Boots Handy Wipes are ideal and smell lovely too. Instead of bringing your whole pack of cotton pads just pop a few into your toiletries bag. Cotton buds will come in handy too, especially when your ears are playing tricks on you after all the loud live music. Finally, hygiene is not a strong point at a festival so do not forget a mini hand gel. I opt for Carex's Original hand gel.

Is anyone been to/going to a festival this year? I'd love to know!

Pattern Focus: Pretty Paisley

A new series from myself - 'Pattern Focus'. If you stepped into my wardrobe you'd think you'd stepped into a time machine back to the 60's with the amount of patterns I have going on in there. This means I'm constantly trailing the internet for patterned clothing at an affordable price. It only seems fair to share my favourite pieces I come across with my readers right?

Paisley paisley paisley. Oh paisley seems to be getting more and more popular just lately. I for one am certainly not complaining though (even if my bank balance is). Without a shadow of a doubt my favourite pattern and that reflects in my wardrobe. I find it so easy to grab a paisley dress and be able to throw on a plain jacket because the pattern does the talking for you in any outfit concerned. Here are a few favourites:

• Paisley Print Longline Kimono (£48) - Topshop
• Paisley Print Cami Top (£20) - Oasis
• Patsey Paisley Boarder Print Side Slit Maxi Dress (£25) - BooHoo
• Viola Monochrome Paisley Woven Skirt (£12) - BooHoo
• Paisley Print Denim Dress (£20) - Dorothy Perkins

Top of my wish list is the kimono from Topshop. I'm loving the longline versions, especially the patterned ones as they're so easy to dress up or down with a plain dress this Summer.

What do you think of the paisley pattern?

MUA Mosaic Bronzer in Natural Glow

It's got to be said I always used to shy away from bronzers. The thought of sweeping an orange toned powder over my cheeks made me shudder. Pale girl problems. Then I discovered contouring, cheekbones without trying. Even then I still struggled to find the right one for me. Then I picked this offering from MUA on a whim and I've never had the urge to experiment with anything else for a little while now.

MUA's Mosaic Blusher in Shade 1 Natural Glow, now part of my everyday make up routine. I have become a sucker for a mosaic shaped product. You can get so many different options depending where you sweep the brush. I find it has a lighter half and a darker half to it. All swirled together though gives me the perfect all over bronze or can be built up to get a cracking contour, if I do say so myself. (Remember contouring takes a very skilled person to perfect it - I'm joking but it can be tricky)!

I have been really enjoying having a natural dewy type glow to my base just lately and this product adds to it ever so easily. It does contain a shimmer of glitter but it's ever so faint, not leaving you looking like a disco ball. I think now that matte bronzers is where I was going wrong. This works really well on my pale complexion so I imagine the shade would work on any skin tone. You really can build it up if it looks like it might be a little too light for you. At £2.50 I'm really impressed with this product and it's fast becoming part of my summer essentials.