Got a cold? I may have stumbled upon a way to save your sore nose…

Advanced Night Repair Eye Gel+

The worst part of having a cold (bar a temperature and that sore skin feeling) is the red nose a few days in. There’s frankly nothing worse than having to see people with a nose like Rudolf.

Quite by accident however, I stumbled upon how to not look like you have a flashing beacon in the middle of your face and it started with eye cream.

As we well know by now I’ve been asking a couple of questions about skincare, like do miracle products work? Well I can tell you one thing, Estee Lauders advance night repair works! The night before I used this my nose was bright red and sore and the first thing I noticed was in the morning it wasn’t sore, looking at it in the mirror and it wasn’t even a little bit red! Success! So, how did I get here?

I’m not entirely sure when and if I heard it correctly but speaking with a couple of colleagues I could have sworn my boss suggested using eye cream on the bridge of your nose. Now because I wear glasses pretty much all the time I had developed an odd mark on the bridge of my nose. It just occurred one day and actually in using this eye cream there I can’t see it anymore! So I already knew it worked pretty well so on the third day of my cold when my nose was this horrendous red I just thought, you know what, I’ll try it! No harm, no foul!

I cannot tell you how surprised I am by this result, so much so I had to share it with you all! If we weren’t sure before this product works. It might not actually stop your face from ageing but it does repair, it does fix skin complaints and if nothing else that is worth the price in a way! This eye cream is not cheap, I think it is about £40 in the UK and it does last, it doesn’t run out uber fast (unless you are over using!) and apparently its working! So girls if you have a cold, wear glasses or just need your eyes to have a little lift this is the product for you!

Fashion thoughts | Sex and the City, Fashion full circle?

In the final episode of Sex and the City’s season four, “I heart NY”, Carrie is wearing a gold, pretzel necklace. Could this look come back, is it back and are we just embarking on an infinite fashion loop?

Re-watching Sex and the City, (the TV series), is an odd show to watch almost twenty years later. Why? Quite simply it may have just stopped aging. Or at least the fourth season has.

Watch the first season perhaps and you’ll see clothes so dated you can understand its no longer 2017, but in season four? The last episode in particular, Carrie is wearing cropped, flared jeans in a mid rise and later a pretzel shaped necklace in gold. My first thought of course was, I have that exact same pendant! The only difference is mine is a bottle opener from Anthropologie, that being said it didn’t stop me considering hanging it on gold thread.

Then I paid attention to the pale pink chiffon top. It has a frilled bottom edge and two horizontal slits up the side, quite frankly its Zara right now and I can’t decide whether fashion has just gone full circle or whether Patricia Field’s vision has just only now become mainstream.

It’s an interesting phenomenon to see how all these things have changed and at the same time not. Fashion has cycled back around to whimsy, to fun, to finding a look through pieces that for once focus on details rather than just simple, clean lines.

Perhaps it is also proof that real, honest style is timeless. Its not necessarily bought from the pages of Vogue but rather our own imaginations of dressing to play a character. If I learnt anything from a Saturday afternoon watching reruns it is this, whenever you purchase something look outside the box, go whimsy, go personal and look for details, because just like the girls timeless stories, details never truly go out of style.

Or at the very least, they might just come back around.

We tried to make Cocktail, Star Anise delight* and this is how it went . . .

HOW TO MAKE | A cocktail with Star Anise

This season is my favourite, fall (Autumn) for fashion and as we move outside of those exciting first days of fall fashion the next thing of course is Christmas. Food and drink rich with spices and warmth if I had to choose fashion over food? I’m not entirely sure I could.

This past weekend myself and Josh made a feast of asian foods which will share with you soon! (sweet potato goyza’s, sweet and sour pork, lemon chicken and egg fried rice? yes please!) but to go with that we wanted something a little different. Wine is our fall back but it seemed fun to go with some aniseed from a little star anise!

YOU WILL NEED:

• Champagne (or we used Prosecco)
• Grenadine (a splash)
• Orange Juice (a splash)
• Star Anise
• An Orange! (in chunks)

INSTRUCTION:

Being given the instruction of a splash can be difficult, how much is that actually? For me I worked it at a quarter of a shot of Grenadine (because it can be quite overpowering) then a half shot of orange juice. All in this order.

Then following this (all on ice – either cubed or broken) top up with champaign or prosecco along with a good chunk of orange! Finally, star anise! I bet you never thought you would need them but finally I have found a recipe for you to utilise their pretty star shape!

Overall this is a lovely uplifting drink! With its rich orange colour it feels festive but without being too heavy we have decided that we would like to have this on christmas day and honestly its worth making and trying out! Its light and refreshing and with the festive season often being so heavy its nice to have something to lighten the palette occasionally!

Even better it doesn’t require a cocktail shaker, its easy and ridiculously quick to pull together (and to top up!)
* when this post initially went out it was poorly timed with the American election 11/9/16. it is important to note that my poor timing skills are no reflection of my political ideals or that of this blog. 

Beauty | Loving Right Now. Detox Mask

Nightwear +

Not so long ago I spoke about the new, high street charcoal mask range from L’Oreal. A great, affordable product I have continued to use and enjoy this mask but I have however had problems. The problems that Charcoal with its ability to draw out impurities means that acne is a given when it comes to using it irregularly, or even regularly.

Something I’ve found to combat that a little? Or at least amplify the healing process has been Estee Lauders 3 minute, NightWear plus detox mask. I don’t know what it is about this brand but my face loves its skincare. I’m more than sure that there will come a time when I can’t use these products so well but at the moment? I am in love.

A simple white chalk-esque mask, this goes on thinly, lasts a long time and feels as though it has drying qualities without over drying. Upon removal it leaves skin feeling soft and hydrated, which is what we all want right? Better still I have found that this works perfectly for acne prone skin and as a calming, after mask for the L’Oreal Charcoal mask. I realise that it is better not to overload skin but this has proven itself to be the perfect remedy to post-charcoal acne.

A skin saver if you will. It also works great for acne prone skin generally! Let me know below if you too have a favourite mask for these types of issues as I’d love to try some others to compare!

Beauty | Three pieces of skincare, review

Estee Lauder “Perfectly Clean”, Estee Lauder “Take it Away” & L’Oreal Paris Micellar Water

L’Oreal Paris Micellar Water

Built like water it removes make up whilst acting like a cleanser and toner. Micellar water has been one of the best random purchases that I have picked up as of late.

I’m not a huge beauty blogger or a beauty expect but in recent years I have found a love for great, simple to use products which can deliver results without being overly complicated or over priced. This micellar water is one of those great products. Its leaves a fantastically tingling feeling and on the whole removes all make up in two to three swipes.

If two or three swipes takes too long then, Estee Lauders “Take it away” does it all in one.

Two products from Estee which I love have been the Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in black and the waterproof version. The other has been, The little black primer which is a great investment for swimming and for giving you a simple tint. Of course, both these products require just a little more than micellar water to shift.

Instead, I picked up the Estee Lauder remove, take it away. Oil based, you barely need a dab of this to remove any trace of stubborn mascara, believe me! Not the cheapest but the fact that this will seemingly last forever makes it an investment worth having for perfect lashes.

Lastly, there is this simple facial wash (again by Estee – sorry! I’m an addict) “Perfectly Clean”. A facial wash and mask in one, I’ve been surprised by the simplicity and effectiveness of this simple wash and mask.

Even better you can often get this as a free gift or sample size and again it lasts forever so is a great product to try out without losing too much cash on a whim. As I have quite temperamental skin I also didn’t find this to give me any acne and it doesn’t dry my skin too much unlike other cheaper products on the market. A great in to a great skincare brand.

The next thing on my exhaustive list to get pre wedding has been foundation (minus the SPF) and primer so any suggestions please leave them below!

Beauty | Estee Lauder Daywear gift set review

Quite a while ago I went onto twitter desperate for help! My skin was not coping with the bad weather or to be quite honest the insanity which accompanies wedding planning. I have also found that switching around medication makes a big difference to your skin.

I have become very accustomed to having oiling skin so to find this year that I now have combination to dry has been quite the learning curve. At this point I can’t decide whether I want the acne over the dry patches but I do know that I needed a new skincare routine.

The first thing I factored in was that I didn’t want to go cheap. You only get skin once so I was not looking for a quick, cheap fix so instead I focused on companies I had enjoyed previously and started testing out products.

Before landing on this one from Estee Lauder I also looked into Ren, La Roche Pose and Clinique. Ren bought my hand out in a rash, Clinique felt too light and La Roche just didn’t say, yes me! But Daywear . . . oh, daywear. It smells like cucumbers, feels thick and absorbs perfectly.

One month on and I do not regret my purchase. This gift set was one from Mothers Day in the UK but for £42 (Daywear itself costs £40) I wasn’t going to pass up having Advanced Night Repair for free! (Even 15ml is a god send!)

What have I learnt? I really needed to invest in better skincare. The other day I had to use a cheaper moisturiser and it stung! This one doesn’t sting, it feels soft, absorbs quickly and just feels so much better! It has however taken more time to help. I wouldn’t say that this was an overnight success. If anything Advanced Night Repair has done most of the work and has almost convinced me to splurge on the full size version (£60, ouch!) but sometimes these things are worthwhile . . .

Something I have yet to find and love is a good facial wash. I’m a big fan of the St Ives scrub, harsh maybe but it really works well for me. My question for you all is this, high end or low end what products do you use and find great success with?

Leave your comments below or tweet me @JessicaAbigailL

 

Zara Accessories Haul | Fall 2015

Turban £7.99+ Extra Long Scarf £7.99+ Knit hat £7.99+

Zara Accessories haul.

Those Accessories though . . .

As a child I had a theory. Once or twice a year we would go to the large shopping mall up in Milton Keynes and the first store I would go into would often be Accessorize. Then because of this I came up with my theory for shopping purchases.

If you found great accessories you wouldn’t find clothes and if there was nothing of interest? The opposite would happen. Honestly, I think that’s what has happened this season. No clothes and instead, accessories.

Fall would usually be my most expensive shopping period but as it turns out it’s almost let the team down. In its place however have been out there (for me) accessories. With the rule of not buying anything you already own I pushed the boat out and found three great seasonal pieces from Zara.

The Bear in Training Hat

An inside joke, when I first started dating Josh I said to his friend and mine that I called him Joshey-bear. It was actually the first time I had said this but everyone loved it and the name stuck. Five almost six years later and I have called him the bear, ever since.

So anyway when I saw this hat I knew I had to have it. If you don’t know, next October we are getting married, so just like how back in 2004 girls would buy tracksuits with their future husbands name on I figured I might nickname this my “Mrs Bear in training hat”.

Thankfully it fit (I have a big head) and let me tell you I will be wearing this all the time! I love the idea of wearing this both casually and to work as a bit of quirk with smart knits and pencil skirts.

The skinny tie scarf

This is a complete style departure for me and I believe that it is for that reason that makes it so awesome. I am a big fan of anything which can quickly and simply transform a look and this is one of those pieces.

As a busty lady, pussy bow blouses just aren’t going to work with my figure but a skinny rock and roll scarf, now that might just be a keeper. For more thoughts on the skinny scarf check out www.loveagoodstripe.com.

The coloured turban

A silk turban. Not your most expected purchase for Autumn/Fall but I thought it was actually pretty genius. Firstly as you know from last year I love a great knitted turban and once it gets colder, you can bet me anything that I will be wearing them once it’s colder again. In the meantime however I am also struggling with my short hair; I have no idea what to do with this cut in fact I’m partly waiting for it to grow out a bit more but in the meantime I was looking for something to fancy up my hair.

This was the thing. Its fun, its lively and I think that’s what you need with a great accessory, it needs to add something to your outfits not just blend in and this is one piece that’s not for the faint hearted.

When is a coat not a coat? When its a Coatigan.

Coatigan: Long Tall Sally (C/O), Khaki Tunic: Zara, Patterned Leggings: H&M, Chelsea Boots: Long Tall Sally (C/O), Slip on Trainers, Barefoot Tess for Long Tall Sally (C/O), Brown Bag: Zara 2014/15, Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

When is a coat not a coat? When it’s a coatigan*

If you remember a while back I shared some of my top fall picks from various companies and one of those was Long Tall Sally! As a six foot tall lady shopping is sometimes hard with those additional inches. Thankfully, Long Tall Sally has come to the rescue! Better than your average high street tall ranges they also think ahead of all the ways that you will be tall!

So to celebrate that today I am sharing three of those pieces I shared earlier and how I have started wearing them for AW.

Starting from the top, this is one of the most beautiful coatigans around.

I had never thought about combining the lush cuddly factor of a cardigan with the protection and structure of a coat. However this sure works great! (Although come snowy weather I will be reaching for last years LTS fur lining (from my parka) to keep it extra cozy!)

I am loving more edgy pieces this fall and so these patterned leggings and long Khaki tunic from Zara completely fit the bill for pulling this outfit together whilst the brown accents mean these classic Chelsea boots fit right in with less expected pieces.

Something which I love about LTS is the basics that they offer to tall women and the ways in which they mix them up to remain classic with a funky edge and both these two pairs of shoes and coatigan personify this.

Moving forward this season I am looking forward to wearing these boots with literally everything from jeans and walks to the park (ahem, pub, cough) to smart dresses and skirts for work. Whilst these slip on trainers from Barefoot Tess are just funky staples that I think will be mainstays in almost all my outfits this AW.

*props to Zip who came up with this title for today.

thats all folks! Have a lovely weekend!!! This is me running to the weekend, whimsy is my thing.

TRJL SHOPS | Best of the sandals SS15

1. Long Tall Sally, Gardenia

2. Scholl, Pocket Ballerina Sandal

3. Toms, Correa in Burlap

4. Long Tall Sally, Mimosa

5. Clarks, Romantic Moon

6. Office, Williamsburg

7. Birkenstock, Arizona

Holy Cow. Sandals.

I have had a two year bad streak and I know I’m in my capsule and I shouldn’t be looking but my sandals rub. Isn’t that always the way? I. am. so. sad about the state of the summer shoe situation! Why must you hurt? So I have been searching the internet and here you have it my list of gorgeous shoes that have support or cushioned soles!

That’s all I ask for in life, you know? Memory foam, soles! May I also point out, Toms!! I want, I want, I want! I just have to wait until June and I am all in!!

Attack of the Ugly Shoe. (Are Ugly shoes still cute?)

image from google

Are Ugly shoes still cute? It may appear a daft question but it’s important for a girl like me who has constant foot problems, that we ask are ugly shoes still appropriate for SS15? If the high street is anything to go by then the jury says yes, buy those godawful shoes! And I think the blogging world can still back me up here. Although I will not be going on trend with Birks I will be going on trend with ugly shoes.

Image from Google

What prompted this rapid turnaround after buying the beauty which is my Dulcie Meg wedges from Clarks? Injury when in doubt always guess injury my friends!

I like to run, not because I like feeling out of breath and like I am a whale trying to swim out of water but because it’s a quick power boost. It rids me of commuting stress (four hours a day will do that to you) and its quick way to lose a few pounds without spending days cycling up hills. But running yesterday?

Well running yesterday didn’t go so well. I have a repeat injury on my bad leg and it feels as if someone has stabbed a fork through the top of my foot. Its not comfortable I’ll tell you that. It comes from my muscles contracting and shortening from my bad ankle no longer bending enough. Its beyond irritating and even more painful and on occasion debilitating but its taught me something about the line between fashion and comfort.

As a kid I hated wearing what I thought were ugly supportive shoes*, but let me tell you this as a clumsy, accident prone girl I rarely did any real damage! But fast forward to being an adult making my own bad footwear choices and I’m rocking pins and a metal plate, coincidence? Probably not.

But now I’m trying to mend the damage. I’m going to work in my running shoes and changing at work and I have been only investing in more sensible shoes which offer often hidden support. Taking this further I have finally realised that shoes which repeatedly cause me problems like knock of Vans? they just have to be thrown away and never spoken about again! See sometimes fashion is worth it, but other times when you can’t walk to work and miss your train home it stops making so much sense!

Where do you guys draw the line with fashion and your footwear?

*when I was at school kickers were the height of fashion, emphasis on height and I am retroactively so glad I never wore them! Whatever did we see in these?

Happy Easter Weekend!!

out being silly with Josh!

As its still Easter weekend and we should all be enjoying our bank holiday off I thought I would make today short and catch up with you guys!!

This weekend was pretty awesome for us and its really felt like we’ve had quality time to kick back and relax. The only problem with these types of weekends? Not getting so much blog time, but then again if your real world is awesome how can you worry about endless photos right?

We have gotten an awful lot done this weekend and one of those things? Essential baking, from fruit (currents and cherry) scones to indulgent brownies and banana loaf to finish up some of our blackened bananas. We also got our car cleaned (finally) had our parents meet for the first time in the five years we’ve been together and even possibly finding our wedding venue!!

All things are go in the Hawkins family and theres nothing more exciting than that!

Freezing milky way bites for those bad days post easter!

afternoon tea break!

 

Your five tips to shopping Tall.

Your five tips to shopping tall.

Shopping tall can be an exhausting process and I know this because A: I am tall and B: I am currently looking for a non-wedding wedding dress. Similar to if you’re a gorgeous petite girl when you’re not average it’s like the stores have banded together to make our lives that little bit more complicated but let me tell you, it needn’t be so stressful!

Try everything on.

It’s an obvious one but I often find my clothes in unexpected places.

For example, Zara. Zara is ace in my books because online it gives you a handy little break down of what height each model is. I really don’t understand why more stores don’t approach their sites in this manner but they don’t. Because of this Zara has now become my go to for jeans and trousers. Not for everyone however but Zara suits my more boyish shape. It offers a good leg length and wider waist line which is the most flattering shape for apple shaped girls like myself.

So although sometimes it’s easy to dismiss a shop by its looks it’s often the place where you can find a great steal!

Shops who inadvertently cater to the taller girl include, Primark, Zara and Mango and these are not even specific tall ranges!

My new jumpsuit from H&M divided has surprising length in the body.

Adapt clothes.

Sometimes of course, this doesn’t work out. Whether that’s dresses with defined waists too high up or crop tops that become bra-lets with some cuts you just can’t win.

So let’s talk about adapting your clothes. You want a mini skirt right but you’re in H&M and the divided section is literally laughing in your face? Well march yourself to the grown-ups section and find yourself a knee length skirt!

Clearly this won’t work for everything but let me tell you, a lot of the time I’m rocking midi skirts as knee grazers and knee length skirts as miniskirts. In fact my favorite trick is with my black, jersey pencil skirt which during work I wear on my hips with a shirt half tucked and when/if I go out in the evening with my friends or the boy I pull the skirt up to my waist and tuck my shirt in to give me a mini skirt. It’s the easiest two ways to wear one skirt!

Two of my favourite tall brands! Long Tall Sally and Taller Than Your Average!

Scope out the tall sections.

Not all stores are built the same. In more ways than one.

New Look, Dorothy Perkins and Next for example only keep their tall sections online, why? Because apparently we don’t shop enough. Crazy right? I honestly miss the days of just popping into the high street to peruse the tall sections, but that’s pretty much over now. Which I think explains why I now shop more in the regular sections and cut corners.

Luckily however some other stores still carry their tall sections although in smaller numbers. Topshop is the main one and they have a dedicated tall section other than our obvious go to store, Long Tall Sally.

I love going in to Topshop for the headlines. I feel like this is the store for the big hitter trends which are not exactly my bag but if you need a great trend piece in a hurry than these are your guys. Other stores who offer longer leg lengths in store include Marks and Spencer and Next.

Cut monetary corners.

When a piece of clothing isn’t a sure thing I hate the idea of paying postage. It’s my biggest hate that I’m ordering not the cheapest of clothes which I have no idea what they will look like on and then I have to pay £4 postage. To make things worst certain stores then won’t have them delivered to you for another two weeks! No thank you. When you can deliver to store for free, do it!

It doesn’t take longer to arrive in fact sometimes its quicker because it just gets put in with their normal weekly deliveries and to make it even better? Your life just got even easier because you can get it delivered to the store closest to your work! Is there anything better than picking up clothes at lunch?

Shoes matter.

If you’re a tall girl shoes can be a problem, why? Because to balance those sky scrapper pins then you’ll probably have slightly bigger feet. Sucks right? Well I have found that shoes are my biggest problem mainly because I have size nine which is just out of most stores regular sizes but if you have size ten and larger my thoughts are with you poor ladies!

Size nine for me is limited and not just because they are big but balancing me along with an ankle injury mean that I have to have more support which is even harder to find! My favourite UK stores include, New Look. New Look is great for cheap quick fixes but remember where size nine shoes are concerned finding them on the high street is dependent on store location and clientele.

Next online order in to store for the best deals on affordable shoes which have slightly better support! My ultimate favorite however is Clarks. They are for great quality shoes which when bought on a deal really are a, really, really, excellent deal! Meanwhile for a wide range of choices Brantano is a great store!

Supportive needs are fulfilled by stores such as Hotter and for big is beautiful sizing check out the gorgeous ranges at Long Tall Sally!

So those are my quick five shopping tips for us tall ladies! If you have anymore great tips feel free to share them below!!! And stores where have you found mecca for tall clothing?