Winter Favourites

The Questions:

What are your favourite things about Winter?

Winter is about cold mornings, dark nights and icy roads- but if you learn to embrace it, it can be the 'most wonderful time of the year'. Apart from Christmas and everything that comes with the exciting build up, my favourite part about winter is probably the seasonable weather. Although the cold climate makes getting out of bed 100x more challenging, I love crisp frosty mornings and the chance of snow. Walking to university when the sky is blue and the air is cool is my favourite time of day, and rushing home to warm up on dark afternoons leaves me feeling so festive. If you stop moaning about it, it's all so cute and enjoyable... embrace it. 

What is your favourite Winter outfit?

A typical winter outfit for me is black skinny jeans (what's new?...), a plain tee, and my beloved (and well worn) tan Timberland boots. I've also been loving my new winter coat, a smart black duffel with a fleecey fur collar. I picked it up from Topman early last month, and you can see it on some of my recent instagram posts. If you guys are interested, I'll feature it in an outfit of the day post soon! 

What is your favourite Winter food?

Who doesn't love a roast dinner? and they're pretty mandatory at this time of year. As a Brit (and especially as a northerner) a roast dinner is eaten in my house at LEAST once a week, but they're perfect at this time of year. When you include all of the trimmings- parsnips, roast potatoes, stuffing and sprouts, it's everything. If you don't like sprouts, you're doing christmas wrong!

Favourite Winter drink?

I'd love to sound super festive and classy, and say something spectacularly Christmassy like Bailey's or a strange caramel coffee of some sort- but it's really not my thing. I recently tried Costa Coffee's new White Hot Chocolate and was beyond disappointed, to me it tasted like luke warm baby formula- not impressed. What I do enjoy though is hot chocolate, and Starbucks is every instagrammers dream at this time of year.

What is your dream way to spend a Winter’s day?

If we are talking FANTASIES, I'd spend the day shopping in NYC with an an unlimited budget and all of my friends and loved ones. Ice-skating in Central Park, Mariah's festive concert at the Rockefeller Plaza... one day I'll make it. 

How do you like to do your make-up in the Winter?

I obviously can't answer this question as I don't wear makeup to the extent of having a 'wintery' way of doing things, but for girls you can't beat a dark lip- berry tones and purples. I know Rebel by MAC is a perfect lip colour for this time of year.  Some of my friends kill it, maybe you should ask them. 

What are you hoping Santa brings you?

My Christmas list is typically the same every year: aftershaves, underwear and money (what more could a boy want? ha) What I'd kill for this year is a new iPhone, and I'm undecided whether I'd prefer the six or six plus, is bigger always better? Unless I win the lottery, I won't be getting one anytime soon, but a boy can wish. 

What are the first three things that remind you of Winter?

Snow, Santa and sparkly lights. 

What is your favourite Winter song?

If you don't follow me on Twitter (which you should) you won't know that I've been LOVING Mariah's Christmas album. 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' and 'Hark The Herald Angels Sing' are spectacular- check them out. Apart from the QUEEN of christmas miss MC, other festive favourites of mine include The Pogues' timeless anthem 'Fairytale of New York' and Chris Rea's 'Driving Home For Christmas'. So much love.

What is your favourite Winter memory?

Sledging seems like the perfect winter activity, but honestly I've had so many bad experiences I can't even pretend to enjoy it. Icy fingers, frozen feet and wet clothes- no thankyou. Some cute memories I have involve waking up to snow, and sitting in my pyjamas checking the school website in the hope it would close for the day. Everyday I'd wait at the bus stop, and when the busses stopped running, school was cancelled. What could possibly be more exciting for a lazy fourteen year old? Watching old movies in front of the fire when you should be working makes it all so much sweeter. 

What is your favourite Winter scent?

If we're talking winter scents it HAS to be a Yankee candle. I love the festive ones, and I'm currently burning 'Cherry Vanilla', it's heaven. In addition, I love the Christmas Markets in my hometown of Manchester. The smell is a mixture of chocolates, cinnamon, hog roast, pancakes, hotdogs and mulled wine- it wouldn't be winter without a day trip here. 

Finish this sentence… If I could have one wish this Christmas it would be…

To be surrounded by my loving family, singing and laughing over a gorgeous roast and a couple glasses of wine! oh, a white Christmas would be lovely too, so I'm wishing for snow!

Thankyou for reading, I've been super busy at university and I am finally coming towards the end of my first semester. I've been doing really well actually, and got a First Class mark on my most recent essay! I'm very happy and proud to say the least! Follow me on twitter and insta to keep up to date with my latest antics, and keep your eyes on this blog. Much more exciting stuff coming up this month :-) xx

Style Icons: Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West

Kim and Kanye are arguably one of the world's most famous and culturally relevant couples, and I am personally a massive fan.  What I admire the most about them though, is their recent interest in high fashion and their changing styles.  Kanye has long since been a style icon of mine, and I think his influence on Kimberley's stylistic choices has made the duo effortlessly chic, elegant and understated. The recently married pair have made themselves into a brand, and their ensembles (which often co-ordinate) represent them as an attractive couple of substance and relevance.  

Their fashion choices are always sophisticated and glam- an idea and style I'd love to replicate in my day to day wardrobe.  If there is one word to describe their style it's 'minimalist'- a huge trend for 2014/15 and an assured way of achieving an effortlessly understated look.

Minimalism: The concept of minimalist architecture is to strip everything down to its essential quality and achieve simplicity.The idea is not completely without ornamentation, but that all parts, details and joinery are considered as reduced to a stage where no one can remove anything further to improve the design. [source]

Below I have gathered a collection of some of my favourite 'paired down' looks that Kim and Kanye have worn. If this doesn't give you 'stylespiration' I don't know what will. 

Don't forget to find me of twitter, instagram and to follow my blog on bloglovin (all the links are at the top of the page). Comment below who your fashion crushes are, I love gaining inspiration from celebrity style and current designers. Thankyou for reading. 

Recent Purchases for Autumn/Winter- Topman Haul

With the summer slowing disappearing and the darker nights approaching, I've been excited to start searching for a few items to begin my autumn/winter wardrobe. This season is my favourite time of year clothes-wise, I love to layer and wrap up in darker colours and comfortable materials. So recently I visited the Trafford Centre with the aim to spend a bit of my savings on some key pieces to kick off the fall season. I'm constantly getting asked on twitter and in private messages about how to dress and where to shop, so this post will hopefully be helpful to some of you. If I had one tip it would be keep everything simple, and stick to one colour scheme. For me this year is has to be monochrome: blacks, whites and tonal greys. 

The first item I picked up was this grey/black check skater t-shirt, which I found in Topman for £16 (available here). I was immediately drawn to it because it is made from a much thicker material than the kind of tees you find in store for spring/summer. For this reason it's ideal for the wintery months. I think I'll get a lot of wear out of it too, as it is both comfortbable and easy to style- it should see me right through to summer next year. The one I purchased was in size XXS, something I was shocked about as this size is always much too small for me- I'm almost 6ft! The t-shirt is designed to be oversized, and in order to find a fit I was comfortable with, I opted for this much smaller option. In my opinion, the XXS fits like a normal M, so bear this in mind if you decide to order it online. 

Another staple for autumn/winter is a good pair of black jeans. I've been living in my Topman Super Spray Ons, an extremely tight pair which admittedly sometimes resemble leggins. If this is the look you're going for, I'd say these are the perfect pair. In my personal style, I always think the tighter the better when it comes to denim jeans- avoid bootleg at all costs guys. My size is 28/32, put I'd definitely advise trying these on in store before you buy. Topman/Topshop always have an impressive selection of jeans available, I wouldn't bother looking elsewhere.  Online, the black super spray ons I bought aren't currently available, but a pair of black spray ons are available here for £30. 

Another recent purchase was a pair of black (are you noticing a theme?) desert boot style shoes. The 'suedette lace-up chukka boots' are available here for £40, a price I was impressed with as similar boots from Clarks can retail for up to £100. I'm saving these shoes for nights out and parties in the festive season, as they are a smart and fashionable alternative to a brogue or formal shoe. In addition to this, they are also a change to the black vans that I wear day in day out, perfect for when I feel like switching it up. I've wanted a pair like this for a long time, so I'm really happy with this buy. 

A key trend for this coming winter is the Breton stripe, a style made famous by the iconic French designer Coco Chanel. You can see this type of print everywhere on the high street, and I found this £14 oversized tee in Topman here- which was also available in red and white as opposed to navy. This shirt is a basic, and can be paired with jackets, hoodies, and denim jeans of any colour. If you're looking for a versatile item with a nod to the stipe trend- this is your best bet. If you have a bigger budget or fancy a splurge, have a nosey at the Pretty Green and Fred Perry websites- but for me Topman always clinches it on price alone. 

Thanks for reading guys as always, and don't forget to follow me on bloglovin, twitter and instagram- all my links are on here somewhere! Leave a comment with your favourite trend or items you've been liking, I love hearing from you and I'll reply as soon as I can! 

MTV VMAs 2014: Must See Looks

Last night marked one of the most glamorous events in music, the annual MTV Video Music Awards. It is always my favourite award show, bound to be filled with glitz, drama and stellar performances from world-class artists. This year was no different, with dazzling productions from Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and a spotlight stealing super medley from cultural icon Beyoncé. Not all of the attention was focused inside the arena though, as the red carpet was lined with stars dressed up to the nines. Below I have gathered a collection of the must see looks from this years' awards, including J Lo's stunning sequinned number and the Kardsahian's effortless glam. Other noticable looks were Taylor Swift's 'not-so-flattering' blue leotard and Miley's surprisingly dressed down bandeau top with co-ordinate trousers.  Ariana Grande looked hotter than ever in a black leather Moschino minidress and trademark thigh high go-go boots- her cutesy prom girl looks are fast becoming a distant memory. Controversially, Katy Perry arrived at the carpet fashionably late with hiphop rapper RiFF RAFF, sporting a double denim ensemble that was unmistakably an echo of Britney Spears' and Justin Timberlake's now iconic get-up back in the day. Amber Rose also shocked onlookers with a revealing draped bead 'dress' that was reminiscent of Rose McGowan's unforgettable 1998 VMA outfit. All the hottest pictures are below, let me know which is your favourite. 

ps. if you're in the UK, the 2014 VMAs air TONIGHT (Monday 25th August) on MTV! Don't miss it! 

The British Tag

Now my blog is up and running, I have noticed that a large proportion of my readership is international and not just from the UK.  For that reason, I thought this tag would be a fun insight into British culture and would also show you a few facts and thoughts of my own. Feel free to comment your ideas below and even answer the questions in the comments! Also, what other kind of posts would you like to see from me in the near future? I'm thinking of possibly uploading some fashion and entertainment ideas and reviews. Let me know! 

1. How many cups of tea do you drink a day and how many sugars? My mum and sister are true tea lovers and in some ways their habits have rubbed off on me. Although I don't get through quite as many cups a day as them, I drink at least one or two teas daily. It has to be traditional 'English Breakfast Tea', and I take one sugar and a small amount of milk- quite standard. I'm drinking one now as I write.  As well as tea though, I'm a hot chocolate lover and I have a definite sweet tooth. 

 2. Favourite part of your roast? Having a Sunday Dinner is quite a tradition in the UK and my family often get together for a carvery. It's so difficult to choose a favourite part because I honestly love them all. I think it would either be the meat, mash or Yorkshire pudding. Everything has to be covered in gravy too, I'm hungry just thinking about it. 

 3. Favourite dunking biscuit? In my opinion you can't beat a custard cream when it comes to dunking, they're traditional, inexpensive biscuits and you can't go wrong.  The chocolate digestive comes in a close second though. There's no biscuit I don't like!

4. Favourite quintessentially British past time? My favourite 'British' past time would probably be countryside walks. Living in Lancashire, there are rolling hills and country lanes everywhere I look. Since I was a child I have enjoyed walks around the village with my grandparents and dogs, I have so many lovely memories of time spent in the outdoors with the farm animals and wildlife. I'm lucky to live somewhere with such beautiful scenery around every corner. 

 5. Favourite word? One of my favourite words to use is 'belting', a word similar to brilliant which means 'really good'. For example, I might say 'we had a belting day out' or 'she's a belting singer'. I'm not sure if this word is something exclusive to Lancashire or whether it's used all of the UK, but I think it's really fun.   

6. Cockney rhyming slang? I know lots of rhyming slang, but being northern I don't tend to use it in my everyday language.  My grandma used to call the stairs 'apples and pears' when we were growing up, and we often call eyes 'mincers', coming from the rhyme mince pies for eyes. When you explain this kind of thing in writing, we British do seem a strange bunch. 

 7. Favourite sweet? My favourite sweet is probably chocolate, and Cadbury's is the best brand the UK has to offer. You cannot go wrong with a traditional Cadbury's dairy milk. Galaxy chocolate is a fave of mine too, it's hard to say!

 8. What would your pub be called? I like the idea of owning an old fashioned pub, somewhere mysterious where you might find outlaws, ghosts and pirates. So for that reason I'd name it something like The Old Tavern or The Highwayman Arms. 

 9. No.1 British person? It would be a crime not to name the royal family as the epitome of British culture, and apart from the gorgeous William and Kate- my favourite royal is probably Prince Harry. He's young and boisterous, and I like how he's always close to getting into trouble. Remember his naked antics in Vegas? I think he's pretty cool. 

 10. Favourite shop/restaurant? Topshop/Topman is an incredible example of a homegrown British fashion brand and is always at the heart of the high street, something other countries just don't have. Most of my clothing is from Topman, it's always up to date with the latest trends and offers good quality items you know will last. 

11. What British song pops into your head? If it isn't a hymn like Jerusalem or Land Of Hope And Glory, the first pop song that comes to mind is Wannabe by The Spice Girls. They're so iconic and represented Britain on the world stage back in the day. This song is their most famous and is definitely very British. Listen to it here. 

 12. Marmite? I don't like the taste of marmite at all, but Marmite flavoured crisps are unusually nice. I have only tried them a few times but remember enjoying them. Marmite isn't really as big a thing in the UK as it is made out to be in other countries, I haven't seen a tub of it for years! 

Thanks for reading guys. Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin, my links for twitter and instagram are at the top of the page too. :-)  

Everything You Need To Know

I decided my first post should probably introduce myself, and writing lengthy paragraphs about the ins-and-outs of my life would only seem like a conceited autobiography- so a 'Get To Know Me' tag feels like the perfect start. Are these things just for youtube?  idk, you can let me know.  My future posts will be a mixture of reviews, fashion, lifestyle- anything goes is the vibe around here. At least after reading this you'll know a little about me, who wants to listen to anon witter about their favourite things? Certainly not me...

1. Do you have a middle name?

As some of you will already know, my old twitter username was liamj4mes, and yep you guessed it- my middle name is James. It's short and easily remembered- I like it. It also makes my first two initials LJ, and in school I pushed so hard to be known universally as LJ, thankfully it didn't catch on.

2. What's your favourite subject in school?

I left high-school in 2012, but I can definitely recall the lessons I enjoyed the most. I'm really lucky in the fact that I did well in all of my GCSEs, somehow I just get it. My favourite lesson has always been English though, it's what I'm studying currently and am planning to continue at university come September. I also loved Media Studies, Art and Drama- they all kind of tie together in a way. These subjects also contrasted everything else I studied and allowed me a creative release- I feel like that is so important when you're deciding what to peruse.

3. What's your favourite drink?

The funny story about this is that my dentist was recently shocked and displeased to discover everything I drink is high in acidity- fruit juice, coke zero, vodka... That's a boring story for another day, but the important thing to remember is to opt for water and milk where possible, and I'm getting better at choosing the healthier options.

4. What is your current favourite song?

If you follow my twitter, you'll know about my adoration for certain artists, and my favourite songs change constantly. If it's by Mariah or Gaga, it's probably one of my faves- there's no denying it.  Something I'm loving in current pop though, is the return of disco beats reminiscent of anthems from the 70s. This disco revival is killer, I'm all for it.

5. What would you name your children?

Is it just me or does this question seem strangely heavier than the others? However, I'm pathetic enough to think about this kind thing on the odd occasion, I never come to any kind of conclusion though. It's a massive decision, and at 18 I'm definitely not ready to think about it too deeply just yet!

6. Do you participate in any sports?

For me this question is amusing, and the answer is always no. I'm neither sporty nor particularly competitive, I'm into fitness though. Running/ working out... occasionally...

7. What's your favourite book?

I study literature so books are obviously something I enjoy. My all time favourite is Harry Potter; I was born it the 90s so it's to be expected. My current favourites though, are Paper Towns by John Green and Allegiant by Veronica Roth. I posted about this on instagram if you follow me over there?

8. What's your favourite colour?

White. Some people will laugh and think this is a poor choice, but I like it's simplicity: clean and classy. I also like black for similar reasons, monochrome is always in style.

9. What's your favourite animal?

My best pal/bulldog Henry is my favourite animal, no brainer.

10. What's your favourite perfume?

Calvin Klein's 'CK ONE Summer' is my go to fragrance. This unisex fragrance is fruity and vibrant, I have so many good memories which come to mind when I smell it, I've worn it for about three years now.

11. What's your favourite holiday?

Assuming the writer of these questions was American, and holiday doesn't mean places I've travelled to, my favourite 'holiday' is definitely christmas. Summer isn't over and I'm already looking forward to the festive season.

12. Have you graduated from high school?

As I previously mentioned, I left high school in 2012. Since then I've been through sixth form, and am currently awaiting my A Level results, agh. Don't remind me.

13. Have you been out of the country?

I'm lucky enough to have travelled abroad many times, Europe, Africa, The States- I love holidays.

14. Do you speak any other languages?

I've studied Spanish and French in drips and drabs, but I wouldn't say I'm a confident speaker in any.

15. Do you have any siblings?

I have one older sister called Georgia, she's two years older than me and is currently at university in Sheffield.  We get on really well and have similar interests!

16. What's your favourite store?
Clothes-wise I tend to shop at Topman and H&M (which is great for basics and throw away trends), and when I feel like treating myself, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. I also live for the apple store, I can't walk past without nipping in for a play about on the laptops- we all do it.

17. What's your favourite restaurant?

I often find myself in Nando's, it's a cult fave in the UK. However, I'm also a supporter of independent pubs. In England, and specifically the north, you can't beat pub grub- always generous portions and a friendly atmosphere, winner. 

18. Do you like school?

Unashamedly, I loved school. I was the biggest geek going but had a large group of friends- I felt like I fit in quite well. College wasn't so fun, it just felt like 'business- as-usual' everyday, whereas highschool had such a close knit community- and apart from the early mornings, I didn't mind it at all.

19. Who are your favourite youtubers?

In case you didn't know, I'm abit of a fan-girl when it comes to youtube. I watch it every night and I probably prefer it to TV in most cases. Vlog wise I love Tanya and Jim, Narcus, Zalfie- we all know and love them. I also enjoy videos by Kandee Johnson, she's so fun and uplifting.

20. What's your favourite movie?

I'm extremely indecisive, so I can't even begin to imagine what my favourites are. A couple that spring to mind are Les Mis, The Great Gatsby, Harry Potter (ofc) and Sex And The City- I'm not embarrassed in the slightest.

21. What are your favourite TV shows?

Recently I've been loving American Horror Story: Coven, I've been totally glued. My other faves are Ugly Betty and Lost- obsessed.

22. PC or Mac?

I'd love to say Mac, and deep down I probably am. On the contrary though, I'm not rich or spoilt enough to own a Mac, so I'll have to say PC. ONE DAY!

23. What phone do you have?

I'm currently using a white iphone 4. It serves me well.

24. How tall are you?

I'm 6ft or just under. I'm happy about this.

The last few questions seemed to end quite abruptly, but I didn't write the questions so don't judge. I quite enjoyed writing this out, talking about my self is my favourite thing to do. That was a joke, but not the part about enjoying blogging, I'm planning on keeping this up for a while. If you made it to the end of this post I applaud and thank you. Don't forget to give me a comment and a follow, I don't quite understand how things work around here- maybe someone can show me the ropes?

Thanks guys!